IT IS FINALLY WINTER

     Well, this morning I received a phone call from Eric the Mechanic announcing, not that ABISHAG's engine was running but rather that she had been lifted clear of the water and set up on stands for a long winter's nap. I can only hope that come spring he will get the engine up and running.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

     Yes, it is true. t also flies when you are not having fun. It Flies when you are old. Time just plain flies.

     Since my last post . . . . back in August . . . .lots has happened. The season has ended; ABISHAG is still in the water; her motor is still not running; I have begun winterizing; I have stripped the sails and bimini; and I already have a whole sh*t-load of work to do come Spring. A couple of weeks ago, when had a sneaky, nasty storm that caught everyone by surprise. The surprise for me was that ABISHAG, safely secured to that dock, got battered. THe wind and wave action was sufficient to bust a couple of docklines which enabled her to rub against the dock. No serious damage but the topside paint on starboard got seriously scraped. Basically, it means that I have a number of gouges to fill-&-fair and then re-paint half of the hull. That will be a real joy. The yard-workers attached some of the dock lines to the winches for the mizzen(small rear) sail and the surge ripped them off. One is totally destroyed and the other partially so, which means both have to be replaced. Fin, Fun, Fun! I also have to replaced the docklines, all of them, not just the ones that were busted. Those that were busted are an obvious replacement, but even the one that didn't break, were seriously stressed and really can't be trusted in the future. I really hate unanticipated expenses.

     I will be wintering again at Ferry Slip.  Of course, it the engine had been repaired, I would have been up at Midway, safe and sound up the Connecticut River, but it wasn't and I am not. Hopefully, Eric will be able to work the deal again so that I won't get hosed on the winter storage.

     Speaking of "hosing," I am back at the sail loft, egaging in the most fun activity possible, wash sails. What makes it especially fun is that the temp is dropping and no matter how much foul-weather gear you wear, you always get wet. You just can't beat wrestling 90lbs of soaking wet sails in and out of tubs of cold water and then hanging them from the ceiling. Then you get to down and haul them upstairs to the loft.

      AH THE FUN AND JOY OF BOAT OWNERSHIP. Well, at least it is a day closer to spring!

Well, Maybe!

     As of this day, ABISHAG is still unwell and not running. eric teh Mechanic is in the process of taking the cover off the front of her engine to get at the gears that control the fuel-injector pump. As one might expect when dealing with an engine that is over 44 years old. Trying to loosen the dozen or so bolts that hold the cover on, we have inexpert busting the heads off of each bolt that we were trying to loosen. Rust and age are the culprits.  What this requires is that each one of the bolt must then be drilled out and then new thread be tapped. It is a slow process.

     One piece of good news, the  owner engine manual has finally arrived. It is not a detailed shop manual but rather something like you would find in the owner's manual of your car, but it did give information for Eric concerning the timing marks and should prove to be helpful. We should find out soon.

     And that is a good thing too as Ferry Slip Marina sent me an email about reserving a space for winter storage. And in addition, MIDWAY Marina also sent me a contract for winter storage for the coming season. If the engine gets running, I'll be heading up to Midway. If not, I have to stay at Ferry Slip. AH, THE JOYS OF BOAY OWNERSHIP.

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!