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The Log of Ariel: Summer Sailing

8.12.05 - Despite the long list of things I should be doing at the new house, I decided to take care of a couple projects aboard Ariel. I'd noticed yesterday, while crawling around the engine compartment, that one of the cockpit drain hoses appeared to be leaking from somewhere. I tracked down the leak - I thought - to the point where the hose attaches to the seacock. The end of the hose was cracked and crusty, convincing me that now was the time to replace both drain hoses and be done with it. While removing the hose, I discovered a more serious defect in the hose: two thin splits about mid-way up the hose that probably allowed water to stream in while Ariel was heeling or underway in moderate seas.
Curled up behind the engine, my neck cramped, sweat running in my eyes, and my knuckles raw and bloody, I finally peeled the old hoses off and managed to coax the new hose in place. What I was hoping would be a quick fix finished by noon so I could tend to other things turned into an all-day affair, including the usual multiple trips to the marine supply store!

The other project I completed was the installation of a weather-proof 12v outlet mounted in the cockpit. For this, I found a slick unit manufactured by MarinCo that included the receptacle and a locking plug. I wired the plug into our GPS power cable and mounted the receptacle in the engine control panel.

8.11.05 - A brief video of a trip from Holland to South Haven last week (thurs). Wind was 25+ out of the south. Ariel was sailing under double-reefed main and staysail and making 6.5-7 knots.

Installed Xantrex Link 20 today. Mounted display on the DC panel over the cut-outs for the original voltmeter, test switch, and light. Looks good. Shunt mounted in battery locker (stbd cockpit locker) on forward bulkhead. Finished up around midnight after checking things out and playing with the unit for a bit. Anxious to read through the manual and learn my way around the system. Looks like it's going to be informative. Link indicated that both batteries appear to be in good shape.

Also dropped the bowl on the second Racor 500FG to reattach turbine element. Apparently it shook loose at some point. Very impressed with 500FG setup. Bowl drops off easily, turbine screws on. Things put back together, fuel polishing pump used to prime filters. Bled R24s since it developed leak around bowl - gasket pinched. Closed valves and bled R24s only. Switched valves and cranked the engine. She ran beautifully. This fuel system is a joy! It sure makes life much easier - I haven't bled the system since I installed it. The valves isolate the engine making it possible to change filters and prime the system without introducing air to the engine. Excellent piece of work, if I do say so myself.