notice from Ferry Slip MAtina that if I want to stay an

     I wish that there was good news to share but, sadly, there really isn't.  We (Eric & I) are awaiting the arrival of an engine manual from the owner of the same boat as ABISHAG who lives in England, which is where ABISHAG was built back in 1977. It is unclear that the engine manual is actually a manual for this particular make and style of engine we need, but joy and hope spring eternal.  Every one say a prayer.

     It is staring to get a lttle freaky as I got  an email notification for winter storage from Ferry Slip Marina. The cost will be significantly more that it is at Midway Marina up the Connecticut River in Hadem wher I have been going for the last few years. I got to saty at Ferry Slip because Eric wasn't able to get ABISHAG up and running before winter hit and was able to give me the same rate as Midway since he is the yard manager. Ferry Slip Marina. However, Ferry Slip Marina is a "documinium" - think a condominium for boats and all the "owners" of slip set the rules. As a result, Eric caught a lot of grief on my presence especially at the rate he was charging me. That has increased as I have been spending the entire summer there as well. And on top of that, I have a $300 credit on the books at Midway Marina for winter storage  which I paid last year before ABISHAG became unwell. I sort of doubt that Eric will be allowed to give me the same deal this year which will be a problem unless Publishers Clearing House finally finds me. It will be even more "fun" if, after all his work, along with assistance of other diesel mechanics and wearing out the internet looking for what he needs, finally admits that the engine can be fix and I have to get a new engine, at least a rebuilt, installed. Publishers Clearing House may have to find me twice!

    And then there is my "rebuilt ankle."  I had it rebuilt 4 years ago but it is still a problem and slowly getting deteriorating. The ortho guy who did it said that it was possible that it would not go back to being completely correct.  There is no artificial placement ankle  that exists that is to the level of the quality of an artificial knee of hip. Rebuilding what was there was, at this time, the best option. Once the Launch Seasonal Work is done, I'll go back and see if there is anything more that can be done. According to all the nurses at TYC, and there are lots, the ankle is actually the most difficult joint to repair. In many case, that just fuse it in place and let it go at that. I didn't want to go with that for lots of reason, especially as it would end my career in the ballet. The thought of  some procedure and more physical therapy in the future is a real source of joy!

AH, THE JOY OF BOAT OWNERSHIP!

Let Me Tell You A Story! ! ! ! !

      ABISHAG is in the water, in a slip at the Ferry Slip Marina. And she isn't going anywhere.

     The fuel injection pump for the fuel injectors is shot. It doesn't produce enough pressure  to run the engine at other than full power. It is either on full or off. Not a good state of affairs. But it gets better.

     The fuel injector pump has been identified as a BOSCH pump, a model that hasn't been manufactured since 1998 and for which there no longer are parts.  It may be why Camper Nicholson changed pumps about that time to another manufacturer.  One downside of this is that the "new" pump cannot be fitted to the original engine so there is no chnce to get one and put it on.

       It also seems that though the engine has "FORD" molded into the block it might not actually be a "FORD" but rather a "PERKINS." That is what happens when an item is not manufactured in the country of origin.

     Basically, getting the engine running is getting to be something akin to the simplicity of the search in the movie, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." But Eric and I will keep on working on it, though neither of us looks anything like "Indiana Jones."

       I had the first shift for the Launch on this past Friday and Saturday. The days were perfect for going for a sail and I spent both days taking people out to their boat so they could go for a sail.  It was depressing because I knew that when my shift was over, I could not go out for a sail on ABISHAG. ANd it is getting to the point that if things continue like they are this will be the third season out of the last five(5)! (remember the tree that fell on my boat) that I couldn't sail my own boat!

     I am sure there is meaning in all this but I don't know what it might be. Ah, The Joy Of Boat Ownership!

     

ABISHAG. . . . . LIsten To Her Roar! ! ! !

     Yes, Friday afternoon, Eric the Mechanic was able to get ABISHAG's engine to run and run at high speed. It was a very good thing  as it made clear that there was nothing wrong with the engine. Well, most of it any way. While it did run well at high speed, feathering it down to a lower normal running speed had the same effect as turning it off. It is more and more clear that the culprit in this whole nefarious affair be the fuel injection pump. It is not producing sufficient power and pressure to run the engine at any speed other than full-bore, wide open. And so, it means that the fuel-injector pump will be the focus for the coming few days for Eric.

      I went down to ABISHAG today even though it was brutally hot. There were several  small items that  needed to be finished off. Tied as she was to a dock, ABISHAG was an oven inside. She couldn't swing with the wind and point into it, so little air got inside and it was like a car left in a parking lot with the windows closed. But all of the little items got taken care of.

     I got a chance to check out the job done by the riggers. They replaced the  jib halyard,a fusion of wire and rope, with a new shackle. They replaced the furling line that wraps and unwraps the Genoa. They replaced the main halyard which is also a wire-rope fusion and replaced the shackles on it as well. The replaced the furling line for the main which furls into a tube behind the mast. Both of these procedures required a trip to the top of the mast to replace and lubricate the sheaves over which the halyards run. They also replaced the mainsail out haul, a line that draws the mainsail out along the mast. They also lubricated all of the block involved with the sail handling system. And since I couldn't bring ABISHAG to them, they had to come to her and that added just a little bit more to the cost. And the cost? $1,465.87! AH, the joy of boat ownership.

SUMMER IS HERE! ! ! ! ! . . . . WELL, SORT OF . . . . .

      Yes, Summer is here as ABISHAG has gotten her bottom wet at last. But as I said,only sort of as the engine is still not up and running and Sound Rigging has not put on the new halyards and corrected the problem raising the main sail, if indeed the problem is more than just a bad halyard. She will sit(float) at Ferry Slip Marina until the weekend when she will motor back to her mooring at TYC either on her own engine or being towed. It is not the best situation but it is better than it was. So three "HUZZAHS" for the sort of start of summer!

Would You Believe ? ? ? ?

      Well, I am recovering, I think. On Friday last, after the early shift running the launch at TYC, I decided to push fate and go paint the bottom of ABISHAG. ( figure that if I got her ready, the engine would finally be fixed and all would be right with the world. It was 87 degrees hot and it took 90 minutes to get the job done. I consumed 1.5 gallons of water during the 90 minutes but I must have sweat it all out because afterward I couldn't even pee! I drank another gallon at home sitting in the coolness provided by my fan but just sat and couldn't move. Sounds worse than it actually was but my get up and go definitely got u[p and went. I actually went to bed about 8pm and getting out of bed the next day was a chore.

     Of course, on Saturday morning, I had the early shift on the launch and it was a bust shift as we had a major race on Saturday. Drank lots of water and juice all through the shift and when I got off at 3pm, headed home for more fluid and sleep. 

     I was still feeling rather blah on Sunday so it was a total veg - day. More fluids and more sleeping and by Monday I was feeling pretty good, good enough to got to that sail loft.

     On Monday, since it was the 1st of July, I went and had a chat with Eric. He said that the boat would be in the water on Tuesday or Wednesday. The engine wasn't fixed, but if I stayed on the hard  any longer, I would started to get charged of "Summer Storage."  So ABISHAG will be towed back to TYC and hopefully be fixed there.

AH, the joy of boat ownership.

Still On The Hard

     Yes, ABISHAG is still high and dry, though there is some hope that this will change soon. At this time I have come to accept that it will happen when it happens. 

     I will be heading down to ABISHAG after working at the Loft and a fiend of Kevin will be coming down to work on a mast winch. This particular winch has been jamed for a couple of years and part of the reason for this is that I haven't been able to dismantle it to work on the problem. "Uncle Peter" is good at taking nautical things apart and will make his best effort to take the winch apart and help me get the problem, whatever it is, fixed. The weather is "iffy" so that will rule out bottom painting today but I will be able to do a lube job on all of the shackles, blocks, tracks and other such items so that they move and functions easily as they should.

     Tomorrow and Saturday will be launch driver days. Saturday will be particularly busy as we have a major ECSA race at the club. I doubt that I will get out of the launch one I get into it on Saturday.  Right now the weather look very good which will be a blessing. There has been a lot of wind, fog and rain the last week so I hope we won't see any of that Saturday ( or Sunday).

IT IS SUMMER . . . BUT NOT FOR ME!

     Yes,"astronomically" it is summer. "Atmospherically" it is summer. But for me, summer was/has/is always when the boat goes in the water. Sadly, ABISHAG is high and dry. Pretty much  the myriad of little jobs and task have been completed. Somethings that I have been putting off for years have been done. Indeed, the only major piece of work that needs doing is painting the bottom and I'll probably do that tomorrow afternoon after my launch shift at TYC.

     The holdup in the engine, the problem that goes back to last August. Eric the Mechanic, who has a excellent reputation, has been stymied by the engine. It is an English piece of work, a FORD Transit and the problem has been getting information. It is a foreign engine, it is 40 years old and there is no manual for it. Eric has narrowed the problem to the injector pump but that's as far as he has gotten.  You just can't wing it without some sort of direction. Luckily today he discovered a rusty, oil-and-dirt covered manufacturer's plate  which gave him a serial number, a designation, and other bits of information that will now allow him to go online and get the rest of what he needs. Once he gets the info, it should be too long. Hopefully, it will be a simple fix. We'll see.

      Of course, once the engine is running correctly and ABISHAG is launched, SOUND RIGGING gets its shot. They will be replacing the halyards for the Main and Jib. Hopefully, that will be that. There is an issue with the main halyard; raising the main has become a real task. It could be something as simple as the main halyard, because of its age and wear, kinking making the main hard to raise. Of course, it also could be that the sheaves at the top of the mast are galled or broken or something that will require repairs. That won't be cheap either.

      SO I continue to work in the loft on those days I am not running the launch and the money comes in and goes out rapidly.  AH! the joy of boat ownership.