VOYAGE OF THE YACHT "SOLSTICE": 2015

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Out with the old.

No matter how hard I try to put pictures in there right order it doesn't happen. As you can see it was not an easy job and I was spared.

Carpenter starting to cut out panels for getting old engine out.

Up and away. Good bye old friend.

#13

The crane has arrived.

#12

Success.

#14

Ready to be taken away.

#15

It served us right for many years, but!!!

Not a pretty sight.

#11

Cabinetry taken out of our bedroom. That is looking into the engine room.

Protecting the soles(floors).

The engine is now exposed.

That's what was left.

As Don said "good bye old friend".

What a mess. A lot of cleaning up!

Still cutting out the woodwork.

On September 24^th, Phyllis and I will fly back to the States to spend the holidays with our family and friends. We will return to Boat Lagoon on January 14^th, 2016. “Solstice” will then be launched, Sea Trials and some leisure sailing around Thailand with a trip to Langkawi, Malaysia for provisioning. Sometime in early February 2016, we will set sail for South Africa via the Northern Route: Phuket > Andaman Is. > Sri Lanka > Maldives > Chagos > Seychelles > Comorros? > Madagascar > Richards Bay, South Africa > Cape Town, SA for Christmas. This is the historical and logical way to go from Thailand. It has been sailed by Arab, Chinese, and East African traders for centuries. It became the preferred route for the English and Dutch East India companies. Depending on their geographical location, they would use one Monsoon (SW or NE) to make their destination and the other Monsoon to return.

Until we return and get the boat ready for this voyage, I will make no more posts but Phyllis will continue to post pictures.

BETA 50 INSTALLATION, MODIFICATIONS, ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS

On August 24^th, 2015, the Beta 50 was successfully started without any problems. All systems installed were working and no leaks were observed. It gives one a tremendous amount of relief to see so much work culminate in a successful startup. We should have many years of trouble free motoring with the new engine. However, with any boat, “trouble free” doesn’t exist!

The following is a list of what has been done on “Solstice” at Boat Lagoon in Phuket, Thailand.

11) New Beta Marine 50 diesel engine and ZF 15 MIV gearbox

22) Remove and install new engine room installation

33) Engine compartment access expanded and made removable.

44) Add new 1” Groco Thru-Hull and Strainer for Beta 50

55) Balmar 614 Smart Regulator for Beta Alternator

66) New Magnum 2000 W Inverter/Charger

77) New Furuno 33 GPS Color and antenna wiring

88) Beta special Sea Frost bracket for engine driven compressor installed. The Freon 12 compressor was replaced in Annapolis, MD, in October 2011, by Nathan Horton.

99) Edson Pedestal steering system rebuilt

110) New Rudder shaft packing

111) Topsides stripped, faired and Awlgripped in Royal Blue

Below the waterline, stripped, faired and barrier coated with International two part INTERGUARD.

112) Anchor Chair inspected and hot dipped galvanized

113) New Dodger and Bimini in Oyster colored Sunbrella

114) New drive shaft in 316L stainless steel to accommodate the new R & D Flex Coupling

115) New PYI dripless Shaft Seal

116) New custom made teak garbage basket

117) New teak spice racks

118) Modify Port, Stbd. and Galley lockers with shelves

119) Add Oil Cooler for ZF 15 MIV gearbox

220) New Teleflex Extreme Control cables

221) New custom built teak engine control display box

222) All teak on deck stripped and revarnished

223) Teak covers resewn with UV thread

224) Setee salon cushions covered with new material

225) Outside cockpit cushions modified w/Sunbrella

226) New Engine Starting Battery in September 2015. The other three house batteries will be replaced in January 2016,

That’s quite an extensive list. The longer the boat is in the shipyard, the more projects and upgrades that are undertaken.

ENGINE BED MODIFICATION

May 7, 2015 began the most difficult part of this particular engine installation: modifying the engine beds. The original Volvo Penta 2003T engine had been coupled a MS2V V-drive gearbox that had a 20 degree down shaft angle. Not such a bad idea on Valiant’s part as it kept the propeller at an adequate angle so that it would have thrust even in pitching seas. Throughout the many years from 1990, the engineering and obsolescence of the 20 degree down shaft angle gearbox took place: no one was manufacturing them. The steepest down shaft angle available was a ZF 15 degree MIV gearbox that had been made by Hurth before they were bought out by the Italian company. This meant that the engine beds would have to be reduced by 5 degrees. I had prepared for this and had the “Gold Mine” from David: almost 200 pictures with mechanical drawings showing the whole operation from start to finish. Using David’s experience and mechanical drawings, my plan was to fabricate a template, in plywood, using the new Beta 50 footprint. This would be laid over the existing 20 degree angle engine beds and new reference lines drawn to 15 degrees. Compensation would then be made for the right angle aluminum capping rail that would go on top of the fiberglass beds. The engine beds would then be at their approximate correct angle. I put in endless hours and sleepless nights fretting over how to get it done correctly.

On Gary’s advice, I contracted Wiwat Tachagulpongkon, a local businessman and former Chief Engineer in the Merchant Service. He was bright, knowledgeable and had a good chandlery with a workshop nearby. He would provide the mechanics and any other workers I needed. I would supervise and direct the work being done. The problem that I encountered right away was that no Thai general contractor had the experience to read mechanical drawings. They are at their finest when they are using an angle grinder, hammer, chisel and screwdriver. The job was going to be done by trial and error. They were going to use the new engine as the ultimate template: 560 lbs of metal; haul it on the beds, take measurements, haul it off. This went on for weeks while they cut the engine beds smaller than they had to be and then built them up with wood and fiberglass.

The project was a comedy of errors with everything having to be done several times. Supervision was absolutely necessary all the time: leave them alone for a minute and mistakes were made. It was the most difficult and frustrating part of the whole process. Thais want to please but the mechanical side of their nature is one of general ineptitude. Also, one must accept the fact that you cannot cause them to “lose face”. It’s a delicate balancing act that I managed to pull off in spite of being demanding and meticulous. Deng, the Thai worker that did all the cutting of the engine beds was a very hard worker. It’s no easy task to sit inside a confined space cutting fiberglass, adding wood and then reglassing.

The end result had to be that the engine would align with the shaft. Some adjustment could be made by the engine mounting bolts but all that hauling on – hauling off had to produce results that were within Beta’s specifications. As an additional safety factor and increased flexibility in the final alignment, I had ordered an R & D Flex coupling to be installed forward of the engine shaft coupling. The final results of this will not be known until Sea Trials take place in January 2016. Overseeing the installation, from beginning to end, has given me a complete understanding of the Beta 50. After the the initial shaft alignment was taken and approved, I made all the other engine connections. I don’t ever want to go through that experience again on this planet with only one moon.

On August 24^th, the Beta 50 was successfully started and all systems and connections working. There will be some dynamic adjustments

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

SAILING TO LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA AND BACK TO PHUKET, THAILAND WITH THE NEW BETA 50 MARINE DIESEL

On April 24^th, we received notification from the Beta Marine distributor, Eddie Tan in Langkawi that our engine had arrived in Penang and would be brought to his warehouse around April 26^th. Actually, two Beta engines had been ordered – a Beta 50 and a Beta 60 – from Beta UK. One was mine and the other belonged to an acquaintance, Bo Sundergard, who was a friend of Gary, the Beta representative, who had put the orders together. I had made financial arrangements with Bo so that the two of us would sail to Langkawi to pick up the engines and bring them back to Boat Lagoon in Phuket. Bo would provide the sailing vessel and I would crew on it. Also, Bo had another friend that crewed with us.

The sailing distance from Phuket to Langkawi is about 160 nm. It can be sailed in twenty-four hours and there are islands on the way to anchor. Bo had made arrangements with the Danish owners of the 50’ steel hulled yacht “Navareen” to use her for the pickup and delivery of the Beta’s to Boat Lagoon. He had been the former Captain of the sailboat and looked after her during the owners absence. Also, the vessel needed to be taken out of Thailand, and brought back, for Custom’s regulations. It worked out perfectly for all parties concerned.

“Navareen” is on a mooring (07-49.446 N x 098-21.196 E) at Ao Chalong bay in Phuket. We checked out of Ao Chalong on April 28^th and set sail for Langkawi. The Wx was good even though we were beginning the SW Monsoon. “Navareen” had no working auto pilot or GPS so it was hand steering. We arranged ‘four-on four-off’ watches. I had brought my Garmin hand-held GPS for positions but the Captain knew these waters well since he chartered out his own sailboat “Patrice” – a classic 47’ Swan. We arrived in Kuah, Langkawi at 1200 hours on April 29^th and met Eddie Tan. Arrangements were made to pick up the engines, at the main port, on the following day at 0800 hrs.

On April 29^th at 0800 hrs, we were secured at the loading dock in the main port of Langkawi. The crane arrived and loaded the engines on the port and stbd. side of the vessel. We secured the engines and set sail for Talega harbor to take on fuel. Everything was working in our favor. We got to the fuel dock just as a dark looking squall, packing 40 kts of wind, hit us. The squall lasted about thirty minutes so we lost no time in taking on fuel and getting underway.

A decision was made to anchor, for the night, at Koh Rawi in the Butang Islands: it was about forty nm from Langkawi. This would leave us another 120 nm from there to Boat Lagoon. The wind was W – NW at 15-20 kts and we found one of the King’s Moorings just off the Ranger station. The King’s moorings are for general public usage and free. They are laid down and inspected by the Thai authorities but caution has to be exercised to make sure the moorings are in good condition. We spent a peaceful night on the mooring and got U/W the following morning. The wind was still in the western quadrant so we had to make several tacks to fetch Phuket. We sailed all night and arrived at Boat Lagoon on May 1^st with the new engines. Once again, arrangements were made to have a fork lift truck take the engines off the sailboat and put one alongside “Solstice” and the other on a pickup truck that was taking it back to Ao Chalong. We had the tide with us so we set sail from Boat Lagoon back to Ao Chalong. This took about five hours. Once we were back on “Navareen’s” mooring, we got everything shipshape and stowed and then took Bo’s dinghy back to his home where I spent the night.

On May 2^nd, I woke up early, had breakfast at Bo’s, and took a bus to Phuket Town and another to Boat Lagoon. My wife, Phyllis, had arrived that morning from the States. I met her at one of the bistros called “The Pantry and Pastry Shop”. It was a joyful reunion.

The reason that the engines were not shipped directly to Bangkok, Thailand from Southampton, UK was due to excessive Thai Customs duties and transportation difficulties. Langkawi, Malaysia is a “duty free” port and easy to access with a boat. Since the engines would be installed in a foreign boat and taken out of Thailand, it makes no sense to pay import duties. Although, technically illegal, it is something that is done by most foreign boat owners and many Thais. This is one of the big problems with having repairs done in Thailand: Customs will tax everything that is shipped from abroad at about 17% of invoice value. The common curtesy of allowing a “Yacht In Transit” to receive spares and parts does not exist at this time. It is a future consideration that the Thai Government is considering but nothing happens quickly in this part of the world.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

RETURN TO BOAT LAGOON FOR ENGINE REMOVAL/INSTALLATION

ON March 21, 2015, I flew back to Boat Lagoon, from the States, to prepare the boat for removing the old Volvo Penta 2003T diesel engine. The engine and gearbox had not been manufactured since 1995 so it wasn’t worth trying to put more money into them. Additionally, Volvo parts are outrageously expensive for any of their engines. If parts become obsolete, the price increases to usurious levels. The old Volvo was still running OK but needed some work to keep it going. Since our next leg involves the most challenging part of the circumnavigation, in very remote places, it just didn’t make sense to keep it.

The main obstacle for removing the old engine and installing a new one in this Valiant 40 was the cabinetry surrounding it. Valiant built the lockers around the engine after it was installed at their shipyard in Lake Texoma, TX. I had to figure out a way to remove them to gain access to the engine compartment. I wanted the removal to have the capability of being reinstalled to the original design and being able to be easily removed for future repairs. David’s pictures provided the framework I needed to make the necessary modifications. The Valiant Owner’s website is most helpful when it comes to requesting and receiving help. I struck a” Gold Mine” when, David Bridges, owner of the S/V Blue Yonder, answered my cry for help. He had repowered his Valiant 40 with a Yanmar 50 but had the same Volvo Penta I was going to remove. He had documented the whole process with a few hundred pictures and was unbelievably thorough and meticulous. He would become one of the two gurus that kept me sane during this challenging installation. The other Valiant owner, Bob from S/V Sail Further, had repowered with a Beta 43. This was the same size as the one I was going to install. These two wonderful and knowledgeable owners communicated with me from beginning to end; answering all my questions and giving suggestions. I can only hope that somewhere, sometime, I will be able to help someone else with information and experience gained from the repower. The third party that has been helpful was Stanley from Beta Marine USA; not only a great businessman, but always working on his customer’s behalf. His replies were always prompt and knowledgeable.

On April 1, I had a carpenter onboard to open up the engine access space. It didn’t take long since I had everything planned out; twelve hours work in two days. Each piece of the cabinetry and companionway bulkhead was very carefully cut out so that they could be reassembled after the new engine was installed. Allowing this much space was the only way the engine bed modification and new installation could have been done. The pictures on the blog show all this in detail.

On April 4^th, two mechanics came onboard to begin dismantling the old engine for removal. It took a day and a half (11 hours) to dismantle and set it on the protective plywood I had placed on the companionway sole. Once the old engine was out of the engine room, I began to remove all the old insulation from the engine room. This insulation was made up of an adhesive foam backing, lead impregnated matt and covered with protective aluminum foil. It had served its purpose since 1991 but had deteriorated and turned to a fine black powder in many places. I began the project on April 7^th and didn’t finish until April 23^rd. During that time, in stifling heat and cramped quarters, I worked from morning until night taking out and installing the new insulation. It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to get the Sound Down insulation that they sell in the States since it is the best to be had. What I put in will provide many years of adequate sound proofing. In addition to removing the old insulation, the big obstacle was having to remove or work around every unit that had been installed in the engine room. It’s a herculean task!

The old Volvo Penta was removed, by crane, on April 10^th; goodbye to an old friend that had served us well. I began to focus on getting the new engine and installing it.

RETURN TO BOAT LAGOON FOR ENGINE REMOVAL/INSTALLATION

On April 4th, two mechanics came onboard to begin dismantling the old engine for removal. It took a day and a half (11 hours) to dismantle and set it on the protective plywood I had placed on the companionway sole. Once the old engine was out of the engine room, I began to remove all the old insulation from the engine room. This insulation was made up of an adhesive foam backing, lead impregnated matt and covered with protective aluminum foil. It had served its purpose since 1991 but had deteriorated and turned to a fine black powder in many places. I began the project on April 7th and didn’t finish until April 23rd. During that time, in stifling heat and cramped quarters, I worked from morning until night taking out and installing the new insulation. It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to get the Sound Down insulation that they sell in the States since it is the best to be had. What I put in will provide many years of adequate sound proofing. In addition to removing the old insulation, the big obstacle was having to remove or work around every unit that had been installed in the engine room. It’s a herculean task!

The old Volvo Penta was removed, by crane, on April 10th; goodbye to an old friend that had served us well. I began to focus on getting the new engine and installing it.

The old Volvo Penta was removed, by crane, on April 10^th; goodbye to an old friend that had served us well. I began to focus on getting the new engine and installing it.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Pictures that have been forth coming

COINJOCK, NC TO ANCHORAGE AT BEAR POINT (52 MILES)

Oct 30, 2011

We spent an extra day in Coinjock due to gale force winds posted for Albermarle Sound. When we woke up this morning there was ice on the dock! We are moving into a transitional period where there are stronger cold fronts coming through the area. Last night it was blowing 35 kts and gusting even higher. There is a swing bridge on the Alligator River that we have to go through and they don't open in winds that are blowing higher than 34 miles per hour. The winds have been out of the North for the last several days. These are favorable for us because we can set out the jib while motoring. This gives us an extra one to one and a half knots. I figure that we can motor along at 5.5 to 6.0 kts. With the jib set and drawing, we'll make 6.8 to 7.1 kts.

We departed the dock at 0715 and dropped anchor at Bear Point (35 deg. 40.4' N x 76 deg 03.5' W) at 1500 hrs. The distance was 52 miles so we made an average speed of 6.9 miles per hour. Distance on the Intracoastal Waterway is measured in statute miles rather than the traditional nautical miles used at sea. The nautical mile is longer. The distances I am posting for the ICW are statute miles

There is an unbelievable hoard of boats heading South for the winter. At the Bear Point Anchorage we had about 20 vessels anchored. the Wx was good and fell to almost calm during the night. Water depth was around 10 ft so I paid out 60 ft of chain which gave me a scope of 6:1. The recommended scope for anchoring is at least 5:1 and can go as high as 9:1 if Wx conditions are stormy.

DELRAY BEACH TO FT. LAUDERDALE (20 MILES)

November 20-26, 2011

We departed Delray Beach Club Marina @ 1036 hrs this morning for Las Olas Marina in Ft Lauderdale. We would like to pick up a mooring ball there. There are eleven bridges to call between on this short distance of 20 miles: just about one bridge every two miles.

In Delray Beach we had a good friend, Dan Morris, drive down from Panama City, FL to help us get everything ready for the Panama trip. He has lots of knowledge concerning boats and their components so it has been invaluable to us. We did lots of shopping for the Panama trip and will continue in Ft. Lauderdale.

We had Thanksgiving Dinner at a Greek Diner in Delray Beach. It wasn't home but it was good. Dan will stay with us for several days until we can supply the boat with spare parts and grub for the trip.

The Wx continues to be blustery with winds out of the NE to E. Since we have been alongside a dock, it's not uncomfortable. We continue preparing the boat. It would have been almost impossible to do all this shopping without Dan's car at hand

We arrived at Las Olas Marina and were all fast at the dock at 1530 hrs. Dan arrived at 1600 hrs. We'll spend the night here and look out for a mooring ball tomorrow. The marina maintains 10 mooring balls that are taken on a "first come, first served" basis. They cost $35 per day which includes a dinghy tie up dock, showers, laundry, TV room and WiFi.

WE have had our Avon inflatable and Yamaha Engine onboard since Lake Michigan. They have never been used! Now we will get both into service. The only way to get from the mooring field to the dock is by boat tender. Every vessel moored here has one.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

December 24, 2011

Phyllis and I went out to pick up a few items that we needed for the yacht: new furling line, ink cartridges for our HP printer and groceries. Then we took a bus ride into downtown Nassau. There were four big cruise ship in the harbor. I figure about 2000 persons on each one for a total of 8000 tourists running around the center of town or gamboling over on Paradise Island. In our opinion, Nassau isn't much to look at. It has the ubiquitous jewelry stores, straw markets, restaurants and sundry bars. Architecturally, there is nothing inspiring that I could see, however, a few hours isn't enough to be sure that there aren't a few hidden gems here and there. Horrendous traffic and loud speakers blasting out the Bahamian version of hip-hop which is offensive to my ears. I like Caribbean music and rhythm but one doesn't here much of that here. The big islands are so linked to the States that our influence is predominant. There doesn't seem to be much agriculture grown on the islands. Just about everything is imported from the States. I've read that they produce pineapples on Eleuthera but I haven't seen any here. Even the Bananas are Chiquita and come in on ships. I believe that the coconuts, fish, conch and peanuts are local. Perhaps, in the outer islands there is more produce grown locally. I wouldn't waste my time on a trip to Nassau; Wx conditions brought us here.

APATAKI, TUAMOTU TO PAPEETE, TAHITI

June 21-23 2012

We exited Pass Haniuru, Apataki at 1200 hrs enroute to Papeete, Tahiti: distance 230 nm. The Wx was fair with a SE'ly wind blowing 15 kts. I was carrying a single reefed mailsail with a full jib. Our average speed was 6.5 kts in the beginning and we had a great sail through the last of the Tuamotu: Arutua to the North and Kaukura to the South. Once we cleared these two atolls, the route was clear all the way to Papeete. As we exited the lee of Kaukura the wind and seas started to increase until we had to put a 2nd reef in the main and then a 3rd. I couldn't get the boat to slow down and we were making 7.4 kts at times. Finally, I rolled up the jib completely and put up the scrap of staysail that we have aboard. Under most sailing conditions it is too small but with a SE'ly wind blowing 20-25 kts and seas running 8-10' it was perfect. We were on a beam reach in the trough of good size seas and this Valiant 40 was taking it without complaint and still keeping us dry. I had to depower the mainsail to get it slowed down under 7 kts. All this with a 3rd reef in her! Anyway the wind stayed strong until we closed land about 6 miles off Pass de Papeete. We arrived at midnight on June 22nd. Since I didn't want to go in at night we lay ahull off the pass until first light

June 23rd

We started to make our way through the Pass into Papeete harbor. The entrance is very easy and well marked with ranges and buoys. The tides in Papeete are amphidromic which simply means that there isn't a lunar influence only solar. They run under 1' and are completely predictable with high tide at noon and midnight. After entering we were very fortunate to find a berth a the Quay de Yachts in downtown Papeete. June 23rd was the day for the Pacific Puddle Jumpers 2012 to have the final rally from Papeete to Moorea which is a beautiful island about 12 miles away. The Pacific Puddle Jumpers includes every yacht that has sailed from distant global points to Tahiti. They are sponsered by Latitude 38 which is a monthly yachting publication.

REPOWERING S/Y SOLSTICE WITH A NEW BETA 50 MARINE DIESEL

January 12-27, 2015

We spent this time in Boat Lagoon, at B-18, preparing the boat for lay up on a hard stand, until all arrangements could be made for ordering a new Beta Marine 50 diesel engine from England. The choice for this engine and repowering at Boat Lagoon, in Phuket, Thailand, was based on the fact that our good friend, Gary Gilbert, was the Beta representative for the Phuket area. Although he was their acknowledged representative, he had only sold two Beta diesels, one to himself and another to a fellow boat owner. My order along with another fellow boat owner would bring the total to four. He gave us his 38% commission fee and never made anything as a Beta representative. We spent countless hours, at his home in Chalong, putting this order together. Many more hours were spent on Skype with Beta Marine in the UK. The final result was that we ended up with a marine diesel package that would replace the existing Volvo Penta 2003T diesel engine. Since Gary had repowered his boat with a Beta at Boat Lagoon, he had many valuable contacts and knew who would be the best choice for the job.

What would make this special installation challenging was the fact that in 1990, when Valiant put in the Volvo Penta 2003T, they used the Volvo MS2V 20 degree downshaft angle V-drive gearbox. In 1995, both engine and MS2V gearbox went out of production. To the best of my knowledge, no gearbox manufacturer is making a 20 degree downshaft angle V-drive transmission. Everything I researched came up with a maximum of 15 degree downshaft angle on the V-drives. Beta was offering their engine with a ZF 15 MIV transmission (15 degree V-drive gearbox). This left me with having to modify the engine bed from 20 degrees to 15 degrees. That meant having to cut through the fiberglass beds to the desired 15 degree angle. This is best done with mechanical drawings and templates to achieve the correct angle. In Thailand, it's done by trial and error using an angle grinder, hammer and chisel.

"Solstice" was put on the hard on January 24, 2015. The new engine would not arrive in Langkawi, Malaysia until the end of April. The plan was to sail down to Langkawi from Phuket (160 nm) on another sailboat and pick up two Beta engines and bring both back to Boat Lagoon. Langkawi is a "duty free" port. Having prepared the boat for lay up, we made plans to fly back to the States on January 27th. I would stay Stateside until March 19th and then return to Phuket to remove the old engine and prepare everything for the arrival of the new one. Phyllis would remain in the States until the end of April.

Friday, July 3, 2015

More updates on Solstice

Don looking very pensive.

We are now having all topside teak refurbish. It's going to look fantastic. I sure wish I could have the soles done but will have to do with what we have. The yacht is looking pretty nice. I'm adding a few more pictures of our continuous project. Haven't been able to get more pictures of the varnish work, can't get on the boat.

Here are two views of the teak box for our new instrument panel that was made by the Master Carpenters of Boat Lagoon. They are also the ones doing the refurbishing inside and out.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Installing engine and more.

We are finally getting there after 61/2 months of working on the boat with a few months break. We still have some more projects to be completed. Hopefully by mid July we will be close to getting out of here.😀 Sorry about the pictures being all out of order. As much as I try to have them in order, it just doesn't happen.