01/09/16 Thurs. Drove around looking for anti-foul paint as
Garry in Kudat had phoned me and told me that Penuwasa shipyard was
running out of stock, couldn't find any 'blue' so decided that a trip to
KK might be necessary when I get to Kudat. Did our final shopping
and checked out with the harbour master, immigration and customs, bought
20 litres of diesel, had a late lunch and then back to the boat for
final preparations. Had another call from Garry in Kudat who
informs me that the marina there is closing next week and they have all
been given 7 days to leave.........well, we all KNEW it wouldn't last,
it was poorly built and badly managed!
02/09/16 Fri. Slipped at 0600 and sailed in company with
Viajero, heading for Tiga Island. We were able to use the genoa for most of the way as the (light) wind was astern and helped push
us along, Ana baked bread and pizza's on the way. On arrival at Tiga, the wind had picked up a little,
making the usual anchorage there unsuitable, so we decided to go around
and anchor on the northern side in 11 metres of water. During the
night, the wind gusted strongly and the seas built up, making for a very
uncomfortable night - both boat anchors held well.
03/09/16 Sat. Weighed anchor at 0600 and motored away from
Tiga, again using the genoa in the light down winds. Discussed
with Bill the possibility of anchoring north of Gaya Island, but
arriving there fairly early we decided to continue to Telek Usukan.
We arrived in Usukan before 4pm and again were forced to anchor on the
south side of the bay rather than the usual position on the north.
My furling gear jammed on entry, and I struggled to get the genoa furled
- a fault that has plagued me before now! However, that was a
quiet peaceful position and we had a much better night.
04/09/16 Sun. After losing sleep on Friday night, both Bill
and I decided to remain at anchor in Usukan and have a day of rest.
Watched monkeys playing on the beach in the morning and derived simple
pleasure by watching a turtle swimming around the boats all day.
Bill came over and joined us for dinner and told us that he must be
anchored on some rocks as he could hear the chain rattling during the
night, so after dinner he moved to the other side of us.
05/09/16 Mon. Early morning coffee, then weighed anchor at
0600 to head for Agal Bay, some 35 miles north. With offshore
winds, I hoisted the mainsail but kept the engine in gear at 1200rpm.
As before, the winds picked up later and I was concerned the anchorage
at Agal would be untenable. Sure enough, on arrival I could see
white horses going all the way into the bay and crashing on the shore,
so I turned out to sea again (now having to go 6 miles out to miss the
rocks!) and Bill and I talked on the radio of any alternative
anchorages. Eventually, we thought that it would be better to
continue around the tip of Borneo, take shelter from the land and anchor
off one of the beaches there - it wouldn't be as far to go tomorrow
either! Dropped anchor in 9 metres off a sandy beach and
enjoyed another peaceful night.
06/09/16 Tues. A late start this morning (7am) and we
motored down the coast to Kudat, dropping anchor in the Duck Pond at
0945. Bill and I went ashore to Penuwasa office and arranged a
lift out for 1330 (me) and 1430 (Bill). We then went over to the
dilapidated marina and I gave Gille on Freedom V the new prop and
shaft he had asked me to bring up from Labuan. Weighed anchor
again at 1330, went over to the travelhoist and was lifted out of the
water and chocked into place on the hard - the same spot as I had the
last time! I was expecting to find the cutless bearing shot to
pieces, but there is very little play on it at all.......so it
definitely is not that which is causing the knocking. Back
to my original thought of the knock being in the stern tube itself.
07/09/16 Weds. Thoughts today that the knock could be the
rudder? But why would it manifest itself after the last haul out
here in Kudat? Took the prop off today and checked the cutless
bearing again - still not enough play between shaft and bearing to cause
the sound I get. Heavy rain at lunchtime, same as last night.
During the afternoon, I removed the cutless bearing housing and the
stern tube with no apparent signs of the shaft having been in contact
with the tube. Cutless bearing had some radial scoring and a
little scale build up at the top, but nothing untoward.
10/09/16 Sat. Very little getting done as it rains
constantly. This morning I moved the prop shaft up and down from
outside (with cutless bearing and stern tube removed) and I get a knock
very similar to the one heard when under power. The only thing
left that the shaft can knock on is the stern gland inboard flange!
Nothing for it but to remove the engine and gearbox, get into the engine
bay and pull it all out for inspection/renewal......but when the rain
stops!
11/09/16 Sun. Disconnected and removed all ancillary
fittings from engine but when I tried to remove the gearbox, the
spanners didn't fit! Now I have removed and replaced this gearbox
twice before and the spanners fitted then - now a 15mm is too small and
16mm is too big.....go figure that one!!
12/09/16 Mon. Managed to remove the gearbox today by
tapping on a spanner which is halfway between metric and AF size,
obviously I will have to replace those bolts now for ones that my normal
spanners actually fit! Three of the four engine mounts came undone
easily but the fourth (front left) was badly corroded by a sea water
leak from the raw water pump, so I removed it from the bearer and will
cut it off when the engine is on the concrete. I managed to give
my left thumb a bashing in the process and could actually see it
swelling up before my eyes, now it's painful and I cannot use my left
hand properly. Public holiday today, so no yard workers and no
shops open.
13/09/16 Tues. Into town for a second 24mm spanner,
tarpaulins, light bulbs and groceries.
14/09/16 Weds. Lifted the engine from the boat today - with
a few nautical expletives and some sweat and blood. Helped Bill to
remove his mast for reburbishment.
15/09/16 Thurs. Still a struggle to undo the packing gland
from the shaft! Once I had it free, the shaft would still not come
out, either forwards or backwards because of scale build up on the part
which passes through the stern tube. I don't understand why this
scale should form there - normally the tube is full of seawater when the boat is
afloat, in 2012 I had little problem in pulling the shaft forwards
out of the stern gland, and it was clean as a whistle after many, many
years, yet now it is scaled up after just 4 years? Eventually, I
got the shaft out and can see a bright area where I think the knocking
sound originates - just have to remove the flexible gland and inboard
flange now to confirm!
16/09/16 Fri. This morning I removed the stuffing box
(stern gland) and the inboard flange, and I can see a smooth shiny area
inside the inboard flange and a corresponding area on the prop shaft, so
I was right in my assumption that the stern tube was misaligned with the
shaft and the two are touching at the inboard end of the shaft.
When removing the bolts of the inboard flange, one of the two nyloc nuts
broke in two and the second had two cracks in it, also the 60mm rubber
tube used to join the flange with the stuffing box was not in pristine
condition - all of which were new in Dec 2012. Now to the internet
to source replacement parts! Also bought a bike for getting around
on - I gave my last one away in Brunei as it took up room in the aft
cabin even though it had small wheels, was aluminium and folded up - the
new one is steel, does not fold but has 26" wheels and 18 gears.
The plan is to sell it on leaving if I cannot figure a way to carry it
onboard.
18/09/16 Sun. After two days of sanding anti-foul off the
hull, I decided it wasn't going to work out......there is some osmosis
present, so have decided to take the whole gel coat off the underwater
area, allow a little time for drying and then give it a coat of fibre
matting and resin before re-applying anti-foul. Went into
town with Ana and put her on the bus for KK, she will stay there with
her Gran overnight before flying to Manila tomorrow for a week.
19/09/16 Mon. This morning I cycled to a woodyard out in
the sticks, not done any serious bike riding for donkey's years and my
legs and ass are killing me!! Managed to get an industrial sander
for the hull, then back into town for a rubber backing disc and sanding
discs, also rubber backing pads for the two grinders used to take off
the gel coat. The area around and underneath the boat look like a
snow scene with over half an inch of dust laying - the deck and topsides
don't look much better!
20/09/16 Tues. Into town at 7.30 for more sanding discs,
first hardware store I visited wanted RM 3.50 per disc, so I went to
another one I know and got a pack of 25 discs for RM 37.50.....a much
better deal. I took the propeller shaft into the yard workshop and
had it checked for any bends, all good, straight as a die, also changed
the cutless bearing. Ana went to a company in Manila and bought a
roll of fibre glass not available here, it weighs 25Kg or more, so I
hope she has no problems getting it to the airport or on the plane next
week.
23/09/16 Fri. Anniversary of joining the RN many years ago!
Have taken off the sacrificial anodes, had to cut off two of the bolts
so will need to have some made. Also removed the old Stowe log
impeller fitting from the hull - never used since I've had the boat, and
never worked. The grinding of gel coat off the hull continues and
the whole boat is covered with dust, maybe a few more days before we can
start to clean up. Helped Bill with the spraying of primer on his
mast while I am unable to do much on my own boat. Got a call in
the afternoon to go help in the marina, so I biked over there and the
whole marina was falling apart - seven piles had toppled, one laying
across Garry's boat, and the pontoons had snapped! We managed to
secure Gille and Amelia's boat, free Garry's off and allow him to leave,
moved a couple more that had no owner onboard and rope the broken
pontoons to the shore. It was dark by the time I came home to the
boat!
24/09/16 Sat. The sanding and grinding goes on, the boat is
white all over with dust so I got the lads to hose it down at the end of
the day. In the morning Gille came over and asked for help in
moving his boat to a safer position in the now destroyed marina, so Bill
and I went over and helped him. During the evening, Bill, myself,
John and Nick went back there for a beer or two.
25/09/16 Sun. No workers today, so peace and quiet. I
had a day off also, no crawling in engine space or behind instrument
panel. Supposed to go to a dinner at 5pm with the Minister of
Tourism - went to one before, a long time ago, so boring and the food
was awful, so I decided to opt out of that one and stay aboard.
26/09/16 Mon. Ana returned from Manila this evening, with
27.5Kg of fibre glass matting - don't know how she managed with such a
weight! She got collared by customs in KK though and had to pay
100 ringgit tax.
29/09/16 Thurs. With the majority of grinding now complete,
I dropped the anchor and chain onto a pallet in preparation for shipping
to KK for re-galvanising. I found the anchor needed some welding
done on it first, so that went over to the workshop. I ordered new
engine mounts and the re-inforced rubber tube for the stern gland from
UK.
30/09/16 Fri. A holiday here in Kudat so no yard workers
until Tuesday. Spent most of the day cleaning the engine and
trying to take the raw water pump apart. I finally got it apart
but there is a crack in the cast iron housing which holds the bearings
in place - I could have it repaired and get new bearings here in Kudat,
but then I would have to get the pump seals sent from the UK (expensive
and not available at present), or I could just buy a complete new pump
for £250.......not a nice end to the month!
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