Wilderness Cruising | Nautitech Open 40 blog

Our bilge blowers are Rule 24v 76mm. I know this because one recently died. This is how you get to know your boat better. By focusing on an area each time essential repairs or preventative maintenance is needed. It really confused me to find the 24v version installed as my boat is 12v, so where would the fan get 24v from? I could see it connected to a relay, perhaps that increased the voltage supplied to the fan somehow? I measured just over 13v with my trusty Fluke multimeter. This means the 24v fan was only running 1/2 speed. Sourcing direct replacement parts was difficult. Both Burnsco and L&P told me there were no 3" 24v blowers in the country. The 24v version is not commonly used and I worried that switching to 12v might cause problems.  It may still be possible to repair the old rule blower by cleaning the motor brushes. But I decided to just replace them with 12v blowers instead. I also decided on the TMC model. The ends of the TMC blower are still 3" but the housi...

The sea is a harsh environment, and even sturdy marinized gear breaks down. 4 years of UV damage has turned my Lewmar #4 track stops into crumble.  This is why I found myself making do with a tube of Sika 291 and a bar of soap to replace my track rubber stops. Out in the wilder parts of the world there is not the same access to parts and services that we are used to in the West. Sometimes you need to get a little bit creative when cruising. Even out in New Zealand some parts can be hard to source. Although my track stops were on order, the expected delivery would take months. I decided to try a temporary replacement. With my last intact rubber stop, and a bar of soap, I heated the soap, and when it softened, enough, I stirred it, put in the rubber stop and waited for it to cool down.  I carefully removed the rubber stop, and with my new mould, and a tube of sika 291, I made up enough temporary stops to get by until the replacements arrived. The lesson I learned is that Sika 29...

In 2019 we spent a week exploring the remote Darien river, the natural jungle border between Panama and Columbia. We had just sailed out of one creek when we saw two yachts heading up the next inlet. Over the radio we heard "Oh! We have company".  "Yeah, but he must be a local, he's got his sail up". That is how we met Agape and Halcyon.  This is the account of their lockdown on a boat, on the other side of the world. It's an inspiring read, deep, and thoughtful.  You can tell they have been on a voyage, and learned lessons on the way. Yachting Wolrd : Pacif Castaway

Yesterday I said, light winds in the Americas Cup were more exciting as they add the possibility of the boats falling off their foils. Today I have to eat my words. Stronger winds are just as exciting, especially in boats so evenly matched. Watch race 9 here.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/2411813889062536/permalink/2852516351658952/ By now the sailing characteristic of both boats are known by all. Luna Rossa can point higher, but Emirates can sail faster, and make better VMG on downwind legs. Considering the size and speed of these boats the sailing is close! Race 7 and 8 saw passes, lead changes, close starts, and boats coming off their foils.  Skipper of American Magic Dean Barker stated in the TVNZ coverage  "It was the most bizzare race." Today, the wind strrength was up, we saw 12 - 18kts, averaging around 15kts, the teams were practicing on the course, and different jibs were going up and down. There was a sense that the days racing would be even more exciting th...

The marine enviroment is tough. Even on a new boat metals suffer from oxidation, corrosion, stress, electrolysis.  One particularly annoying task is dealing with seized bolts. So there are lots of ways to get seized bolts out. Overnight application or CRC Impact driver Persuasion Tapping Drilling Cutting a slot *Taps *Not much success with taps. Anyway, now that you have removed your bolt, I'm guessing that you do not feel like doing that again any time soon? Well, there is a simple and easy answer. Make sure you have a tube of Tefgel onboard.  If you have any concern about seized bolts, just coat the thread with Tefgel before you put it back. I've tried it, and it works well. So either buy and use this product on your threads, or get used to unseizing blots. About to replace old track stops, these bolts will get a Tefgel topup.

What a dramatic Americas Cup race. Yesterday's race was cancelled due to light winds. But light winds actually make for a more interesting race. If you missed it, here's the link. Its worth watching. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2411813889062536/permalink/2851674165076504/ With winds over 12kts,  the race can feel like more of a parade. The boat that selected the best sail, or the boat that wins the start wins the race.  If the winds are light, like they were today, around 8kts, there is a chance the boats fall of their foils. If this happens it dramatically changes the race. We saw this in the Prada Cup, the feeder series of the Americas Cup. Today was the first time we had light patchy winds in the Americas Cup, and it was super exciting. It can be tricky to follow the racing from the water with a poor angle. With a lag in the broadcast coverage you are constantly trying to piece together a strange view and a delayed commentary. We managed to get a good spot overlooking t...

I'm so thankful for our davits. On the Open 40 it means that raising and lowering the dingy with the 3:1 pulley setup is simple and can be done with minimal effort.  We are in our fourth year as liveaboards over 20,000 nm sailed. We have left our Highfield CL130 with Suzuki 9.9 outboard on the davits throughout. That's pretty good going, to think that we can prepare the dingy to cross an ocean in under three minutes.  Often overlooked when securing the dingy are the cleats placed specifically to stop sideways movement. It's horrible to see someone sailing along with the dingy crashing from side to side, when it is so simple to tie up.  To secure it from sideways movement:  Lift up the dingy, aim to get the dingy side tucked in right up to the bottom of the davits.  Take the painter to the cleat just behind the main sheet winch, and tighten the so that the side of the dingy presses firmly up against the back of the boat.  Take a line from the stern of the di...

6th March - 2 years ago Fung and I left Panama for the Marquesas, a 3800nm sail that took us 30days. We did not know what to expect from this long passage, but we had lots of adventure, and even met new friends. One Booby bird joined us as crew for several days, and even helped on watches and sail changes. Fung put together this vid of the fun with our Pacific crew. https://youtu.be/jNK3Z6kAwYk Read our Pacific Crossing 2019 Passage Log here We couldn't imagine that we would wind-up in New Zealand, or that we would still be here onboard Wilderness 2 years later.

Lazyjack tips The Open 40 comes with lazyjacks running inside the mast. At some point they cross and emerge towards the second spreader. Running the line outside the mast makes them run smoother, and easier to maintain, and less likely to chafe. An added benefit is that if they break they wont get stuck inside the mast. To make this change you will need: A cleat Two small blocks A spare line to secure the blocks to the spreader A Bosun's chair, and a helper Simplfied procedure: Add a cleat to the base of the mast so that there is a cleat at either side. You could double up on the existing one. But I think it makes sense to have a dedicated cleat for each lazyjack line. Uncleat the lazyjack lines.  Remember to add/leave a mousing line, just in case you want to run something else up. Ascend the mast, and tie the blocks on the second spreader, 6" from the base of the mast. While you up at the second spreader, take out the lazyjack line and run it through the new block straight d...

Looking back, I can see that a few key decisions have had a major impact in my life.  Living on a boat, we make decisions that affect us everyday, and these decisions are more frequent, and their effects are amplified. A bad decision could cost lives. At best you get lucky and a bad decision doesn't lead to any loss. So you need to develop good decision making skills. Yesterday was another example. New Zealand - already in covid lockdown - went into Tsunami alert. Anchored in Mahurangi harbour, we had another decision to make. Abandon the boat and head for a Tsunami evacuation zone. Head up river. Stay put. Head out to sea. Sailing friends on their own boats, have their own decision to make. Civil defense, harbour master, or coast guard. no matter who offers advice, they are not the one making the decision, and while good intentioned will not live with the consequences. Decisions you make about the boat are entirely your call. We already learned this lesson about good intentioned a...

What chain hook do you use? This is one of those eternal boating questions among cruisers. It's almost like asking for an anchor recommendation, except that more sailors can agree on anchors. Chain hooks are a problem because there isn't a bullet proof, simple, and generally recognised answer.   People want three things out of their chain hook. 1.       Simple to operate, easy to put on and take off 2.       Reliable, it must be secure, and do its job when conditions worsen 3.       Marinized equipment, it must be robust, and stand up to a harsh environment   In a old poll on Cruisers Forum 13 chain hooks are compared.  https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f118/anchor-chain-hook-poll-95248.html   Eye Grab Hook 37 Rolling hitch knot 20 Other 15 Mantus Chain Hook 12 ABI Chain Grabb...