Back in the Water

After a week or so at dry dock Ge'Mara is back in the water.  There is still work to be done but all of the remaining upgrades can be accomplished back in her home slip so back in she goes.  While she was out of the water we had her bottom pressure washed and the anti-fouling paint re-applied.  Anti-fouling is a special kind of paint that discourages mussels, barnacles and other forms of sea life from attaching themselves to the hull.  The rust spots were ground off of her keel and covered with epoxy.  The zincs had completely fallen off the prop shaft so we had those replaced.  (In order to prevent corrosion to the propeller in salt water, zinc orbs are attached to the propeller shaft.  For an explanation of how and why zincs work, click here).

The rust spots on the keel were ground off and sealed.
Note also the new black anti-fouling paint on the bottom.

New zincs were attached to the propeller shaft

The biggest item we had to attend to was replacing a worn rudder bushing.  This meant disconnecting the rudder from the steering system (quadrant) and removing it entirely from the boat.  There are actually two bushings, one at the top of the rudder shaft and one near the bottom.  The top one was the more significantly worn and the bottom one is encased in the fibreglass hull.  Given the work required to replace the bottom one we just did the top.  This involved having a polypropylene cylinder machined to precise specifications and then slicing off an amount required for the bushing.  The remaining material will be kept as a spare in case we need to repeat the procedure for the bottom bushing.  It was a bit of work and expense for something that isn't highly visible but you know what they say about an ounce of prevention...

Ge'Mara going back in the water.  Note her new
lettering on the transom.  The name remains the
same but she's now proudly from Vancouver. 

By the time we "splashed" the boat and fired up the engine I was ready to ferry her home to Coal Harbour.  It was a rainy spring day and after spending several hours tinkering with the boat in the rain I was ready to make the short trip to our slip and dash home to dry out.  I said my farewells to Laurence and the helpful crew at Granville Island Boat Yard and headed out under the Burrard bridge.  I was just nicely passing the False Creek channel markers and settling into my own thoughts when the engine started to hesitate and lose power.  I recognized it immediately as the same problem that we had coming through Porlier pass last summer when we completely lost the engine.  The wind was blowing briskly in English Bay and as the rpm's continued to drop I had images of being the latest sailboat to be washed onto the Vancouver shoreline for the amusement of people walking on the seawall.  Fortunately the engine stabilized at about 1500 rpm and I was able to turn around and limp back toward Granville Island.  I made a quick call to Laurence and found that he was still at Granville Island and could meet me at an open slip to investigate the problem - another lucky break.  I silently wondered whether the outcome would have been any different if we had changed the name of the boat and risked the wrath of Poseidon.

After some fuel system diagnostics it became apparent that there was something wrong with the brand new Raycor fuel filter that had been installed just a few months ago.  It seemed odd that this would be the case, given how new the filter was and the fact that the engine was running fine when we brought her in for dry dock.  In any event, as I motored away for the 2nd time in the pouring rain, I reflected that this had been a valuable day of learning.  By helping Laurence replace the rudder and then watching him diagnose the fuel flow problem I had at once gained valuable knowledge and realized how much I have to learn.

On the Hard

This has been an interesting (and costly) week so far.  On Sunday David and I motored Ge'Mara from Coal Harbour to Granville Island in preparation for having her pulled out of the water for service and repair.  It was a rainy ride over but we were rewarded in the end by sighting a school of dolphins at the entrance to False Creek - a fairly rare event.  Naturally we were too busy gawking to get any pictures.

On Monday the boat was pulled and we were able to satisfy our curiosity about how much funk had accumulated on her underparts.  Also we were curious to see whether our encounter with a rock near Thetis Island had done any significant damage to the keel.

Hauling her out of the water

The guys at the Granville Island boatyard are really efficient and within minutes of being lifted out of the water, Ge'Mara was on jacks and her underside was being pressure washed.  To our surprise there was relatively little accumulation of sea life on the hull, thanks to the regular application of anti-fouling paint by the previous owner.  The keel seemed unharmed by rock we clipped but there were patches of rust on one side, perhaps where the rock had scraped the protective paint off.

Rust spots on the keel.  These will be ground
down and epoxy applied to exposed areas.

Our marine mechanic, Laurence Abro of Triton Pacific Marine Services, is supervising all of the work on the boat and performing important inspections.  After the keel, one of the key items we had for him to inspect was the rudder.  When we had the boat surveyed a year ago it was noted that one of the bushings was worn and may need to be replaced.  After removing the rudder Laurence confirmed this and wasted no time in having a new one fabricated by a local machine shop.

After the first day the hull had been polished to gleaming.  We were so pleased with how it looks that we engaged Trish, a local boat detailer, to detail and polish the topside, including oiling the long neglected teak rails.

Meanwhile the old decals on the transom have been removed, much to David's relief.  Due to some old and painful memories, the reference to Nanaimo on our boat irked him to no end.  Very shortly Erl the sign guy will be by to reapply the name and home port of Vancouver.  Contrary to what I've written in the intro to this blog, we will not be changing Ge'Mara's name.  After agonizing over the issue we mutually decided that while Ge'Mara wasn't our name, it has come to be the name by which we know her best.  She has treated us kindly this last year and so we have no wish to start fresh now.

Artist's mock-up of the new boat name and home port.

In addition to cleaning and repairs we have a couple of upgrades we've decided to make.  First, we are replacing the ancient VHF radio in her cabin.  A new radio is actually very inexpensive and will utilize DSC (Digital Selective Calling) technology, as referenced in an earlier post.  DSC utilizes the Global Positioning System to maintain a fix on the boat at all times.  In case of emergency we can push a button on the radio that will automatically send a distress signal to the Coast Guard with our exact position and identification of the boat.

Lastly and after much debate, we have decided to add an autopilot.  This is an expensive decision, adding several thousand dollars to the bill but well worth it in the end.  For my part it will enable me to safely begin single-handing the boat this summer while I am off work and have time on my hands.  For David it is an extra measure of safety while introducing his wife and family to sailing.

Exciting times as we prepare Ge'Mara for another year of fun on the water.

A New Chapter

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, this coming week marks the end of an era in one part of my life and the start of a new chapter that will no-doubt feature even more fun on the water.  After 15 years I am leaving my job and taking a well earned break.  It's fun to contemplate all of the sailing possibilities that exist now that I have the time to explore them.  In preparation for this, David and I are getting the boat ship-shape.

This weekend we'll take Ge'Mara for the short ride from Coal Harbour to Granville Island where she'll be pulled out of the water put "on the hard" for some maintenance work.  One of the things we're really looking forward to doing is repainting the transom and changing her home port to Vancouver rather than the current Nanaimo.  The plan has always been to change her name to "Never Better" but we're scratching our heads at the moment on whether we want to go through with it now that the opportunity is here.  Looks like it will be a game-day decision.

The next big trip we have scheduled is a run to Princess Louisa Inlet (PLI).  This breathtakingly beautiful spot is about four days sail from Vancouver, located at the end of the much larger Jervis Inlet, the entrance to which is just East of Nelson Island.  PLI is a fjord with towering snow-capped mountains on both sides.  At the end of the inlet there is a large waterfall known as Chatterbox Falls.  It's a destination that is at the top of most boaters' wish list in the Pacific Northwest, sail and power alike.  With that in mind, David and I are very deliberately making the trip in the early spring to avoid the crowds and hopefully have the place largely to ourselves.

It promises to be a great year on the water.

Princess Louisa Inlet.
Voted "the most scenic natural anchorage in the world"