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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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