Survey Says!!!

It is a go.  One of the state of readiness projects we initiated in getting ready to head out into the Atlantic Ocean was a survey of our dear boat.

Not for us one of those insurance surveys; you know the kind you want rushed through as quickly and cheaply as possible so the insurance broker will just get off your back.  No, we wanted a real survey done by someone who could point out the defects and weak points in our preparations.  Or so we thought.

Oh, the horror.

For those masochistic personalities who enjoy trips to the dentist or Income Tax Audits audits the process of having your boat examined by an exclusively critical eye might be a real treat.  For us having a boat survey was as welcome as...well as welcome as a trip to the dentist or an income tax audit.  No apologies here to dentists or tax auditors.  

Like most boaters we have spent a fortune on maintenance:  updating and renewing the boat and her systems.  It is our estimate that we need to spend about 10% of the cost of the boat each year on refit and repair just to stave off the ill effects of age and hard use to which any sailed boat will be subject.  Like most boaters we have difficulty restraining ourselves when it comes to the boat and her care.

Like most boaters we are intensely private people who do not welcome any intrusion into our private lives or living space by anyone.  Oh, we told ourselves that we really really would rather find out about major defects in our boat before we sailed off into the uncivilized waters of the North Atlantic but you know it was a lie.  

Having someone poking and prodding and prying around in our home on the water was a horrible violation of our personal space and contentment.  .     

Blissful ignorance allows peaceful slumber unblemished by nightmares of your rudder detaching itself from the boat and depositing itself on the ocean bottom.  After commissioning the survey I was filled with remorse and regret.  It was not sufficient to cause me to cancel the survey and so our trip to Europe but it was enough to instill regret in me about wanting to sail to Europe in the first place.

You see, without the survey we could not go to Europe.       

New maritime rules for that excessively civilized culture have made liability insurance mandatory for entry to the EU.  No insurance no Europe.  No survey, no insurance.  

Our existing insurer did not provide coverage for Europe.  Apparently no North American insurer provides coverage for Europe.  Probably because no North American company can find Europe on a map or globe.  Of course our existing insurer, arranged by the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron, does not provide insurance coverage in Cuba either.

This the company alleges is because they are American and being American they are barred from doing business in or with Cuba.  Horse droppings is what this is.  To insure in Canada the insurer must be Canadian - at least a company incorporated in Canada even if owned by an American company in the end.  The Canadian Power Squadron insurer will not cover Cuba even though Canadians cruise Cuban waters in increasing numbers, all of us uninsured because our own boating organization cannot find its spine and dictate some terms.  I guess the Power Squadron designates an insurer based on the size of the donation made by the insurer to the Power Squadron not the welfare and usefulness of the insurance to its members.

As always I have fallen off the footpath on which I embarked.  

Our survey came back just fine.  Of the nine recommendations made by the surveyor  the biggest one, the one  mentioned more often that anything else by a factor of three to one was that we needed to have the US Rules of the Road on board as a Canadian registered boat we carry the Canadian Coll Regs which are, by international agreement., the same world wide..  

A second nagging concern was that we had to have a "garbage placard" mounted.  Apparently in the United States a boat is not seaworthy unless it has a big sign affixed prominently informing all aboard that throwing garbage containing plastic overboard.  Really?  I don't know if I am more astounded by the fact that having such a sign is deemed a "seaworthiness issue" or by the fact the US government thought they had to tell people not to throw plastic garbage overboard.  Either way I am dumbfounded.

To be sure the survey disclosed a couple of good safety issues and found a few things missed on the survey we commissioned when we purchased Meredith.  These will be addressed with half a day's work (yeah, yeah - half a boat day's work.  It might take 

But the nub of it all is this - WE ARE OFF TO BERMUDA AND MAYBE BEYOND. 

And if I never have another survey I will remain a happy man.

Offshore Navigation Issues: Avoiding the Shipping Lanes

Our interest in things like shipping lanes is recently heightened.  Primarily we are interested in not hitting or being hit by some massive ocean going freighter or tanker or such.

If we knew where the "lanes" were, we reasoned, we could make sure we stayed out of them.  Good theory.

The scope of the problem sort of overwhelmed us as you can perhaps appreciate from the following chart showing the main lanes used by commercial ships:

At this point we have decided to just remain overwhelmed.


The image came from http://billjaquette.net/top-major-shipping-lanes-and-ports-in-the-world.

All I Want To Do is Make a Phone Call - From Mid Ocean

The Inmarsat with Antenna partially extended.
Turn the picture on its side and you will find the
secret message Inmarsat is sending Iridium

Still making decisions on equipment and services before braving the cold gray waters of the Atlantic.  Our communications choice was the new Isatphone Pro satellite phone from Inmarsat.  Inmarsat has a long history of providing rock solid satellite data services although the phone is a recent entry into the satphone market.  

Today we learned our satellite phone has been delivered to its US location and awaits only to be picked up to be useful.

Oh, and we have to take it out of the USA.  We cannot use our phone in the USA.  No fooling.

Apparently the technology used in the "prepaid minutes" system of charging for sat phone use is owned by Iridium, a satellite phone company in compeitition with Inmarsat.  That is what Iridium says anyway and they are claiming patent rights and have started a law suit.

The end result is that if you are in the USA you must buy an expensive monthly payment plan or you cannot use the Isatphone Pro.  


The alternative Prepaid feature provides an inexpensive calling.

When we get to our boat in Norfolk we will have to sail offshore 50 to 100 miles before the phone will work.  The phone has a gps built in so it knows when we are within the zone where prepaid use is prohibited.

Such is the benefit of the American Intellectual Property legislation.  No benefit to society, no benefit to individuals.  Just lots of law suits and bullying.

The American system is the one our own dear Prime Minister swears is best for Canada and the one that he is going to ram down our throats.  Not for us the Euro system which still protects the rights  of IP holders but allows other methods of resolution than blood battle.  

Lucky for us our PM is so smart.

In fairness we could pick up the phone and bring it to Canada to test it.  Then we would have to pay 13% HST at the border.  Welcome to Canada.  Let's do business.  Not.

Looking for Full Featured Chart Plotting Software for Your Laptop?

London, ON

We have been looking for some software that we can use as a backup to the chartplotter in event of a breakdown.  Not that we expect to need chartplotting in the midAtlantic but whenever we get close enough to run into an island or rock it would be nice to find the bits with deeper water.


Packages that display AIS info and Grib data usually have indigestible price tags at least for us poor folk.


For the past couple of days we have been using OPEN CPN, a piece of open source software  available on SourceForge or from http://www.opencpn.org/.  This does everything but integrate radar and it may even do that but we haven't tried.


We love it.


Having little to do each day other than act as a lab rats we have subjected the program to all sorts of tests and challenges which it might encounter in daily life aboard Meredith.  We even gave it a stupid test and so far the software is rock solid.


The program is Open CPN.  Try it.  If you like it donate a few bucks to the open source resource.  

SSB - A Fiasco Only Partly of Our Own Making.

London, ON

Communications has become of increasing importance to us as we contemplate crossing a major body of water.  Single Side Band Radio seemed to offer the possibility of extended communications ability.  What a waste of time and money it has been.


We purchased, in 2005, an ICOM 802 SSB and a pactor modem to allow us to have email and other data capabilities.  A large dynaplate was installed on the hull as we knew we had to "ground" the radio to the sea if we wanted it to work properly. 


It is possible to have a SSB modified to permit use of the full range of frequencies available to ham radio operators and we had this done.  A ham licence was obtained by me to keep us all legal and everything.


All very nice but the radio has never worked very well.  We frigged around with the antenna and the dynaplate.  We strung miles of copper ribbon everywhere.  Miles of wire have been installed and removed and relocated and cursed by us. 


Short description: SSB is a major headache.  Some of the radios work well enough in the Bahamas and their owners believe they are the cat's ass.  All they have right is the ass part.   The Bahamas is so small an area that no one can tell if their radio really works.


Worrying that the radio was malfunctioning we took it an authorized ICOM service centre in Florida.  After testing the service centre provided us with a bill for $880 of work and told us the transmitter section of the radio was buggered.  All our poor radio could muster was 10 watts of power on transmission.


We declined to have the radio repaired.  For $880 we could buy a new full feature ham radio and use it (after modifying it to handle SSB frequencies.  It's complicated - I'll tell you about it sometime).  


Some things the service centre told us bothered me.  They said they would have to desolder a bunch of parts from the radio and replace them - resistors, transistors, capacitors and so on and they allowed $500 for this.  Now this did not ring just totally correct.  


We re installed the radio and went to the Bahamas on the clear understanding that our radio would only receive - not transmit.


Our understanding was incorrect and the radio transmitted just fine but reception was faint beyond 200 miles.  Data transmission was very very difficult.


Returning to the USA we sent the ICOM to a much better repair facility, Clairmont Skyland TV in Atlanta, GA.  They ran it through its paces and after 8 hours of bench time called to tell us THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE RADIO. The techs were broadcasting in real time at 100 watts.  Reception was a dream.


Although expensive the diagnostic time was invaluable.  The guys at Clairmont Skyland recommended a few things to try with respect to our antenna as this seemed the next logical problem area.


We also learned there is no authorized ICOM dealer in Florida.  At all.


So if you have a steel boat maybe SSB is a good idea.  If your boat maker epoxied 100 square feet of copper screen in your hull at time of manufacture maybe SSB is a good idea. If you have an older production fiberglass sailboat SSB is a disappointment unless you consider the very limited range of the Bahamas sufficient.  Even then you may not be happy much of the time.


Now all you guys can tell me how great your radios work. 

Modding an Iskra 100 Amp Alternator

London, ON

The procedure in this blog worked for me.  I do not guarantee it will work for you and if you attempt the mod yourself good for you but you are on your own.  You are responsible for any damage you incur.  Don't be stupid.  I do not know much about alternators or diesels and if you do what I suggest it is a case of the blind being lead by the blinder.  I have no expertise.  This is just something that worked for me.  It may not work for you.

Here you see the alternator in its native environment.
Note the rugged construction - and the 5 Groove serpentine Belt

When we ordered our new Beta 43 diesel a couple of years ago we fitted a 100 amp alternator built by Iskra, a company out of Slovenia equipped with a 5 groove serpentine belt.  With only one exception we were totally satisfied.


Unfortunately the Beta supplied Iskra is regulated by an N type internal single stage regulator.   Most boats in North America use three stage external regulators to drive their higher output  alternators.  

• The benefits of multi stage regulation are discussed by Don Casey in a decent online article at www.sailnet.com/forums/miscellaneous/22175-understanding-three-stage-regulator.html.  

We modified our Iskra alternator and it is now uses P type externally regulated three stage regulation.  It was a simple modification.  Here's how:


What you Need:

1. Iskra brush holder available from Beta marine for a reasonable $40,
2. 5/16" combination wrench and, if you have it, a 5/16" socket,
3. 1/2" open end wrench,
4. a small phillips head screwdriver,
5. a pair of sidecutters or a sharp knife.

The Procedures Step by Step:

1. Turn off the DC power (shut off the main switch),
2. Remove the alternator from the engine and remove the three existing wires,
3. Remove the back cover from the alternator (3 nuts),
4. Remove the internal regulator (2 nuts and one screw),
5. Install the brush holder (2 nuts),
6. Cut an access hole in the back cover for the wires to the brush holder,
7. Run the wires from the brush holder through the access hole,
8. Gently replace the rear cover (3 nuts),
9. Wire up the external regulator,
10. Return the alternator to the engine and reconnect the three wires,
11. Restore DC power

In Pictures:

The alternator sits calmly unaware of what is about to happen.

There will be three wires on the back of the alternator.  Depending on what is easier you can remove the wires and then the alternator or remove the alternator and then the wires.


Often the wires are short. If you remove the alternator before the wires you may rip the wires out by accident.  Just go slow and be gentle.

Removing the big wire from the back of the alternator using the 1/2" open end wrench.  


The big wire is positive and is connected through the battery switch directly to the battery.  If you short it to the engine block you will get a lot of sparks and some melted metal.  Avoid this.


I wrap all tools in electrical tape when working around wiring on the engine.

In an excess of caution I wrap the exposed end of the big wire with electrical tape to prevent accidental shorts.


Once I did not wrap the end and I got lots of sparks and some melted wire.  This is how I learned to avoid this.



 Here is the alternator removed from the engine.  It is resting face down (the pulley is on the blue mat) and you are looking at the back.


I have drawn orange circles around the three nuts you must remove to take off the rear cover.  One of the nuts is recessed and if you have a 5/16" socket it makes life easier.

Shown here is a lug on the back of the alternator which is held in place by another 5/16" nut.  You only need to remove the top nut and the tab.  Do not remove the nut which you will find under the tab.  Not fatal if you do but why cause yourself more work.


When you have removed the tab just gently pull the rear cover straight off the alternator. GENTLY.  You do not need to worry about brushes or anything.  Just gently pull the cover straight off.

When the cover is removed this is what you will see.  


Cool.

The photo to the right shows the internal regulator.

Here you see the regulator from a different angle.  Circled are the two nuts and the one screw you must take off to remove the internal regulator.

Just remove the nuts and the screw and then gently lift the regulator off the posts on which it is braced.  Be careful because you are removing the brushes too which are an integral part of the regulator assembly.

Removing the nuts on the internal regulator assembly.

Removing the single screw on the internal regulator assembly.

Installing the new brush holder.

You have to place the brush holder on the two posts which held the regulator assembly, depress the two brushes and gently lower the assembly and brushes into place.  

This is not hard but it is fiddly.  The brushes rub on the rotor and can jam.  The brushes are fragile.  Being gentle will pay huge dividends.

If you have trouble getting the brushes to go on the rotor wrap some heavy paper around the rotor and press the brushes against the paper.  


You can then press the brushes against the paper and easily lower the brush holder on its posts.  When you have the brush holder in place just slide the paper off the rotor.  Easy peasy.

Here you see the brush holder sitting nicely in place where the regulator used to sit.


You now have to replace the two nuts on the posts holding the brush holder.  


You can see the wires coming off the holder.  

You can see the wires coming off the brush holder.  You must lead these wires outside the rear case.  


To do this cut off a hole in the ventilated part of the rear cover.  Just cut off one of the plastic bits.  Leading the wire harness through the resulting hole is tight but doable.  Why have a bigger hole than you need.

The hole is made.  


Lead the wire harness out the hole and gently replace the rear cover.  This cover will only go on the rotor one way.  Look closely at the inside of the rear cover and this will be immediately obvious.


If it isn't find someone with an IQ of 65 or higher and ask for help.  If your dog is smart he may be able to assist.

The rewired alternator. A lot more connections but all
due to the external regulator.

Replace the nuts you took off the rear cover and put the tab back on.  


You can see the wire harness leading out of the back of the rear cover.


Now it is time to rewire the alternator.


This is remarkably easy.


You put back the three wires you took off in the first place: the big positive wire, the tach wire and the voltage sense wire.


Then you have to follow your regulator instructions for wiring.  Usually these were written by a Taiwanese teenager with a serious crack habit and a passing acquaintance with the English language.  Oh well.  You are on your own except for this:


You will have to connect two wires to the wiring harness.  One is a negative wire and you can take the negative wire off any DC ground. I use the "neg" post on the alternator itself.  The other wire to the wire harness is "stator" and it will come from the regulator.


Here is the joyous bit: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH WIRE YOU CONNECT TO WHICH.  There are two connections in the wiring harness.  One is negative and the other is stator.  It does not matter which is which.  Cool.


You are done.  Reinstall the altenator and start the diesel.  If nothing burns up you are golden.

Here is the brush holder.  You will see immediately

Cruising Nova Scotia

London, ON

Last summer our sailboat, Meredith, took us out the St. Lawrence River, around the Gaspe and delivered us in Nova Scotia.  It was an easy passage and the effect on crew was dramatic.  An astounding trip and a fabulous destination.  Even the hurricane that greeted us in Halifax failed to dim the magnificence of the trip.

Last Saturday we arrived in London to find waiting for us a brand new copy of Peter Loveridge's just published Revised Cruising Guide to Nova Scotia.  It was with our general mail pile and we did not open it until today.  Sad for us.

All you Great Lakes sailors who want an exciting sail in domestic waters need to give serious thought to buying this guide and moving your boat out the St. Lawrence for a summer.  Nova Scotia is sort of a saltwater North Channel with actual historical sights and really really cool anchorages.

An easy to do, exciting trip and with Peter's Guide almost fool proof (almost to allow for the magnitude of the fool behind the wheel).

Peter has a decent blog at http://www.cruisingguidetons.blogspot.com/.  If the photos alone don't create an irresistable urge to sail east check your pulse.

To see if you have one.

To comply with the legal requirements I must confess that every picture on my blog has been unabashedly stolen from Peter's.  With his DVD in hand you can muster a fair reasonable wallpaper for the old laptop.  Something to feed the spirit on those long Ontario winter work mornings.

The guide was a fabulous aid: well written with a distinct maritime flavour, packed full of detailed drawings, tidal progressions, charts and information.  Peter is a very careful sailor and if you follow his guide you will come to no harm.  We maintained rather a looser affiliation with his recommendations but at least we were informed as to the risks.

We used Peter's recommendations on departure from Yarmouth heading to New England incorporating both tide and weather forecasts.  The three large American boats who failed to do so left 30 hours before we did and arrived to clear customs 2 and 1/2 days after we did.  Unhappy were they to see us nicely moored and showered and relaxed, they wet, beat up and tired.

And if you do as we did Peter's wife, Heather, will worry about you as if you were one of her own.  And when she meets you she will give you proper hell for being a careless fool.

We did the trip.  We loved it.  We will do it again.  Soon.  And we will be using Peter Loveridge's Guide.