Hi all,
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We had a lovely restful day aboard Madrona with baking of Bread (regular and cinnamon, chocolate cake, and pumpkin pie!
Dinned was mashed potatoes with gravy, fried SPAM,and green beans. Desert was yummy. And we enjoyed our annual watching of the Wizard of Oz. Hope you all have a great day.
Owen,Carrie, Tamsyn & Griffyn
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This is the blog for SV Madrona and her crew Griffyn, Tamsyn and their parents Carrie and Owen, as we navigate new waters for our family.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Storms, low fuel, across Java Sea and into South China Sea
On Passage - Bowean Island to Banka Island (part of Sumatra), Indonesia
Anchored near the town of Mangarr, Belitung Island
November 20, 2013
We had no trouble motoring the first 250 miles of the 450 mile passage from Bawean to Banka. There were very light winds as expected, electrical storms each evening and some rainy days when we collected water. The first couple days reminded me of our trip north a year ago, heading up to the Solomon Islands. Each night we drove through multiple electrical storms, often we filled our oven with the hand held GPS, a computer, a couple hand held radios and maybe the kindle. The oven is a Faraday Box and if we did get hit by lightning most electrical devices on board would be ruined permanently. This trip like the one last year made me anxious, I just wanted to get there intact.
We figured we'd have to motor the entire 450 miles. We were unable to purchase enough fuel in Bowean to fill our 4 jerri-cans that live on the rail. The only local ATM didn't work the day we were there and Owen was unable to trade a pair of high powered binoculars despite the help of the locals who stopped everyone on the road to see if anyone was willing to purchase them. So we left Bowean with a full tank (75 gallons) and none on the rail (usually we left places with another 20 gallons). According to our calculations we should be able to motor 525 miles (at 4 knots). Thus we should have enough fuel to get us to Banka - where we would check out of Indonesia before our Visa's expired on November 20, 2013.
When checking out of Indonesia, if your Visa is already expired, the fee is $25 (US) per person per day - for us that means $100 per day. So we were very motivated to arrive in Banka on time. We left Bawean on the morning of the 14th of November. We had 6 days to go 450 miles. We of-course had left ourselves with much more time than 6 days to go this distance, we had planned on going to Kalimantan to buy fuel and break up the trip, but fixing the leak in the coolant tank cost us 6 days (instead of a 1 night stop).
On the morning of the third day of the passage (Nov. 16) - about 250 miles out of Bowean - Owen woke me up at 7AM. (I usually slept until 10AM). Some storm had turned the 200 foot deep Java Sea into a roiling, boiling, helacious blue world. I could hardly see the sky, Madrona rocked so much, I mostly saw the sides of huge waves as they rolled towards us. The winds blew in the 40s and Madrona almost broached at the crest of each 3 meter wave. The wave period was about 5 seconds. We had to get the head sail in NOW! Where the hell had this come from? Why didn't it show up on the grib files?
After we got the head sail in, Owen let the engine run, but throttled down. He needed information (via sailmail.) We couldn't motor in these seas and we couldn't sail. So we sat and drifted as we were being rocked to death. Things were flying across the floor, falling off shelves, and being hurled through the air inside the cabin. Tamsyn and Griffyn tried to rescue things as they landed. Owen and I took more sea-sickness medicine and stayed in the cockpit as much as possible. As Owen sent off emails, I took the watch. I saw a huge bulk carrier approach our starboard beam. He was moving fast (15-20 knots?) I suggested Owen get on the radio. He hailed them on channel 16, "Securitee, Securitee bulk carrier, there is a small sailing vessel about 1 mile ahead off your bow. We are drifting. Please come back."
They called back and changed their course to take our stern. They came a little too close for comfort especially in those seas, but at least they spoke English and hailed us. The heavily loaded bulk carrier proceeded on their course past us about another mile to our port quarter and then held station. Owen called them to see if they had a weather forecast. The said it would be like this all day. They were also drifting to adjust their schedule (they couldn't arrive too early in Java, there would be no place to dock.) They asked us if we needed any help. Owen said, "No, we are just short of solar," (diesel). He meant we didn't have enough to waist it trying to bash into these waves and winds to try motoring out of here.
At some point I started hearing a deep rumbly skidding sound coming from below the cockpit floor. Something was slipping or breaking. Owen unloaded the quarter berth into the salon (reducing living space for Tamsyn and Griffyn dramatically,) and climbed into the engine room to investigate the steering, since that is directly below the floor of the cockpit. It was the auto pilot. One of its braces was coming loose from the bulkhead where it was anchored. We turned it off. The waves must have been too much for it. It was attached to the wall with 5200, Owen couldn't find any bolts. Another thing to fix later. We would find a way to bolt it on (It still works fine - just not in heavy seas).
It took a couple more calls to Merkar Tide, the bulk carrier, to figure out that there was a low in the Indian ocean creating all these winds. Eventually Owen pulled down a current grib file. The low was very slow moving and would continue to affect the local wind patterns for 3 or 4 days to come. We didn't have that kind of time. A feeling of depression hit both of us as we sat there trying to figure out plan B. We certainly could not go to Banka - north of us - the winds were being sucked southwest into the low. Where could we go to check out and get fuel and water? And could we drift there?
It took all day to figure out another plan while we drifted 1-2 knots/hour south east. I remember feeling grateful that the bulk carrier full of English speakers was always within sight, just drifting there too. I could always spot them at the crest of each wave. It made me feel a little safer that day. I told the kids to come up to the cockpit (we didn't need to clean up vomit too). They loved the enormous waves and played sea-saw games and "I Spy" for hours completely oblivious to their parents feelings of peril. Their giggling and cheerfulness helped me too.
We needed to check our fuel level to see if our calculations for fuel consumption matched the dip stick. That dipstick is under the V-berth mattress, the bounciest part of the boat. So as quickly as possible Owen tossed things being stored up there aside and crawled in. I thought it was a pointless considering how we rocked and pitched. We waited for a period in the wave cycle where the chains on the ports hung straight down. Then Owen thrust the stick in as quick as possible and pulled it out. There was no way we would get an accurate reading. But Owen insisted - good thing he did too. We had much less than we thought, around 25 gallons.
It didn't seem like enough. The nearest anchorage was 100 miles away and in these seas who knows how much fuel it would take to get there - the currents are so unpredictable. But we could not just stay here and drift either even though it was a safe place (meaning it was not near a reef). An hour before sunset we decided to try sailing eastward towards a town on Belitung Island, called Manggar. Through a series of emails to our homeland support team (thanks John H., Grandpa John, Wendy, and Lois & Hink), Owen found out that there was an ATM in that town (which meant we could purchase more fuel there.) It was closer than Banka and East North East - with winds coming from the north we could sail part of the way for sure. We put out a little sail and headed east at 1-2 knots. The waves preventing faster travel.
Over the next 4 days we sailed, drifted and motored towards Manggar. Each 25 miles took a day of incredible patience and frustration as we would continuously be slowed by currents, waves and winds on the nose and once again forced to drift south east - away from our goal. We were struck by squalls and watched lightning dance on the waves near by. We watched funnel clouds form and dissipate. We vacillated between spirited hopeful thinking while the boat progresses toward Manggar and despair when we were forced again to just drift away. It seemed an eon to cover just twenty miles and not loose half of it drifting again. We checked the fuel level again, the sea was calmest in the mornings. We didn't have 25 gallons as we thought, we had less. We never seemed to be able to travel faster than 2.5 knots. There was just too much that kept preventing us from going north. The town was on the northeast corner of the island.
We had 12 gallons of fuel left on November 19th. We looked at our planned course and re-drew the lines to find the shortest possible path to get there. We shaved off about 7 miles if we sailed (or drove) closer to the reefs, nearer shore. I reminded Owen that like Bali island, the currents may be much less strong near shore. At 2:23PM we started the motor for we hoped our final run. And by the grace of God, or something, we motored along at 4 knots. We had roughly 40 miles to go, I knew it would just take one more storm to slow us down and make it impossible to get there. We hand steered keeping a very straight line. Having my hands on the wheel, steering always makes me feel more in control and gives me something to do. It was hard steering because of the currents, but it kept my mind occupied. We watched a huge storm with multiple Wall clouds form in front of us for an hour. It looked terribly menacing. We had covered 20 miles with out a hitch and I decided as the storm seemed to be moving east of us that this storm was not going to get us. I decided to be positive and believe that we would get there. As the storm rotated the winds (on our nose) shifted to our port quarter. We past the tail end of it with out a drop of rain as it poured dark purple off our starboard beam. We drove the final 20 miles at 4 knots through increasingly calm waters as we approached Manggar. On November 20th, we dropped the hook at 12:25AM and fell into bed.
As I write this, Owen is in town. The ATM machine wasn't working with our card. Someone from the tourist office has offered to drive him to a town 1 hour away that has a BNI bank. We should hear from him again sometime after dark tonight. The water is calm here, the kids did some school and took baths. I am making bread. I have moved slowly through this day balancing exhaustion with a need to communicate.
Carrie
Postscript:
We got ourselves checked out. The people from the Minestry of Tourism (Tiwi, Frans and also Fauzi who was the first person I met in Manggar) did an incredible job helping us get money, fuel, water and provisions for our trip north.
We left Manggar yesterday afternoon, and as I write this we are motoring through a dead calm in the South China Sea, on our way to Malaysia. We have more fuel on board than we have ever carried, and the seas and currents are not bad so far.
Things are looking up. We should cross the Equator and be back in the Northern Hemisphere in a few days.
Owen
1 48.074S
107 19.977 E
----------
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Anchored near the town of Mangarr, Belitung Island
November 20, 2013
We had no trouble motoring the first 250 miles of the 450 mile passage from Bawean to Banka. There were very light winds as expected, electrical storms each evening and some rainy days when we collected water. The first couple days reminded me of our trip north a year ago, heading up to the Solomon Islands. Each night we drove through multiple electrical storms, often we filled our oven with the hand held GPS, a computer, a couple hand held radios and maybe the kindle. The oven is a Faraday Box and if we did get hit by lightning most electrical devices on board would be ruined permanently. This trip like the one last year made me anxious, I just wanted to get there intact.
We figured we'd have to motor the entire 450 miles. We were unable to purchase enough fuel in Bowean to fill our 4 jerri-cans that live on the rail. The only local ATM didn't work the day we were there and Owen was unable to trade a pair of high powered binoculars despite the help of the locals who stopped everyone on the road to see if anyone was willing to purchase them. So we left Bowean with a full tank (75 gallons) and none on the rail (usually we left places with another 20 gallons). According to our calculations we should be able to motor 525 miles (at 4 knots). Thus we should have enough fuel to get us to Banka - where we would check out of Indonesia before our Visa's expired on November 20, 2013.
When checking out of Indonesia, if your Visa is already expired, the fee is $25 (US) per person per day - for us that means $100 per day. So we were very motivated to arrive in Banka on time. We left Bawean on the morning of the 14th of November. We had 6 days to go 450 miles. We of-course had left ourselves with much more time than 6 days to go this distance, we had planned on going to Kalimantan to buy fuel and break up the trip, but fixing the leak in the coolant tank cost us 6 days (instead of a 1 night stop).
On the morning of the third day of the passage (Nov. 16) - about 250 miles out of Bowean - Owen woke me up at 7AM. (I usually slept until 10AM). Some storm had turned the 200 foot deep Java Sea into a roiling, boiling, helacious blue world. I could hardly see the sky, Madrona rocked so much, I mostly saw the sides of huge waves as they rolled towards us. The winds blew in the 40s and Madrona almost broached at the crest of each 3 meter wave. The wave period was about 5 seconds. We had to get the head sail in NOW! Where the hell had this come from? Why didn't it show up on the grib files?
After we got the head sail in, Owen let the engine run, but throttled down. He needed information (via sailmail.) We couldn't motor in these seas and we couldn't sail. So we sat and drifted as we were being rocked to death. Things were flying across the floor, falling off shelves, and being hurled through the air inside the cabin. Tamsyn and Griffyn tried to rescue things as they landed. Owen and I took more sea-sickness medicine and stayed in the cockpit as much as possible. As Owen sent off emails, I took the watch. I saw a huge bulk carrier approach our starboard beam. He was moving fast (15-20 knots?) I suggested Owen get on the radio. He hailed them on channel 16, "Securitee, Securitee bulk carrier, there is a small sailing vessel about 1 mile ahead off your bow. We are drifting. Please come back."
They called back and changed their course to take our stern. They came a little too close for comfort especially in those seas, but at least they spoke English and hailed us. The heavily loaded bulk carrier proceeded on their course past us about another mile to our port quarter and then held station. Owen called them to see if they had a weather forecast. The said it would be like this all day. They were also drifting to adjust their schedule (they couldn't arrive too early in Java, there would be no place to dock.) They asked us if we needed any help. Owen said, "No, we are just short of solar," (diesel). He meant we didn't have enough to waist it trying to bash into these waves and winds to try motoring out of here.
At some point I started hearing a deep rumbly skidding sound coming from below the cockpit floor. Something was slipping or breaking. Owen unloaded the quarter berth into the salon (reducing living space for Tamsyn and Griffyn dramatically,) and climbed into the engine room to investigate the steering, since that is directly below the floor of the cockpit. It was the auto pilot. One of its braces was coming loose from the bulkhead where it was anchored. We turned it off. The waves must have been too much for it. It was attached to the wall with 5200, Owen couldn't find any bolts. Another thing to fix later. We would find a way to bolt it on (It still works fine - just not in heavy seas).
It took a couple more calls to Merkar Tide, the bulk carrier, to figure out that there was a low in the Indian ocean creating all these winds. Eventually Owen pulled down a current grib file. The low was very slow moving and would continue to affect the local wind patterns for 3 or 4 days to come. We didn't have that kind of time. A feeling of depression hit both of us as we sat there trying to figure out plan B. We certainly could not go to Banka - north of us - the winds were being sucked southwest into the low. Where could we go to check out and get fuel and water? And could we drift there?
It took all day to figure out another plan while we drifted 1-2 knots/hour south east. I remember feeling grateful that the bulk carrier full of English speakers was always within sight, just drifting there too. I could always spot them at the crest of each wave. It made me feel a little safer that day. I told the kids to come up to the cockpit (we didn't need to clean up vomit too). They loved the enormous waves and played sea-saw games and "I Spy" for hours completely oblivious to their parents feelings of peril. Their giggling and cheerfulness helped me too.
We needed to check our fuel level to see if our calculations for fuel consumption matched the dip stick. That dipstick is under the V-berth mattress, the bounciest part of the boat. So as quickly as possible Owen tossed things being stored up there aside and crawled in. I thought it was a pointless considering how we rocked and pitched. We waited for a period in the wave cycle where the chains on the ports hung straight down. Then Owen thrust the stick in as quick as possible and pulled it out. There was no way we would get an accurate reading. But Owen insisted - good thing he did too. We had much less than we thought, around 25 gallons.
It didn't seem like enough. The nearest anchorage was 100 miles away and in these seas who knows how much fuel it would take to get there - the currents are so unpredictable. But we could not just stay here and drift either even though it was a safe place (meaning it was not near a reef). An hour before sunset we decided to try sailing eastward towards a town on Belitung Island, called Manggar. Through a series of emails to our homeland support team (thanks John H., Grandpa John, Wendy, and Lois & Hink), Owen found out that there was an ATM in that town (which meant we could purchase more fuel there.) It was closer than Banka and East North East - with winds coming from the north we could sail part of the way for sure. We put out a little sail and headed east at 1-2 knots. The waves preventing faster travel.
Over the next 4 days we sailed, drifted and motored towards Manggar. Each 25 miles took a day of incredible patience and frustration as we would continuously be slowed by currents, waves and winds on the nose and once again forced to drift south east - away from our goal. We were struck by squalls and watched lightning dance on the waves near by. We watched funnel clouds form and dissipate. We vacillated between spirited hopeful thinking while the boat progresses toward Manggar and despair when we were forced again to just drift away. It seemed an eon to cover just twenty miles and not loose half of it drifting again. We checked the fuel level again, the sea was calmest in the mornings. We didn't have 25 gallons as we thought, we had less. We never seemed to be able to travel faster than 2.5 knots. There was just too much that kept preventing us from going north. The town was on the northeast corner of the island.
We had 12 gallons of fuel left on November 19th. We looked at our planned course and re-drew the lines to find the shortest possible path to get there. We shaved off about 7 miles if we sailed (or drove) closer to the reefs, nearer shore. I reminded Owen that like Bali island, the currents may be much less strong near shore. At 2:23PM we started the motor for we hoped our final run. And by the grace of God, or something, we motored along at 4 knots. We had roughly 40 miles to go, I knew it would just take one more storm to slow us down and make it impossible to get there. We hand steered keeping a very straight line. Having my hands on the wheel, steering always makes me feel more in control and gives me something to do. It was hard steering because of the currents, but it kept my mind occupied. We watched a huge storm with multiple Wall clouds form in front of us for an hour. It looked terribly menacing. We had covered 20 miles with out a hitch and I decided as the storm seemed to be moving east of us that this storm was not going to get us. I decided to be positive and believe that we would get there. As the storm rotated the winds (on our nose) shifted to our port quarter. We past the tail end of it with out a drop of rain as it poured dark purple off our starboard beam. We drove the final 20 miles at 4 knots through increasingly calm waters as we approached Manggar. On November 20th, we dropped the hook at 12:25AM and fell into bed.
As I write this, Owen is in town. The ATM machine wasn't working with our card. Someone from the tourist office has offered to drive him to a town 1 hour away that has a BNI bank. We should hear from him again sometime after dark tonight. The water is calm here, the kids did some school and took baths. I am making bread. I have moved slowly through this day balancing exhaustion with a need to communicate.
Carrie
Postscript:
We got ourselves checked out. The people from the Minestry of Tourism (Tiwi, Frans and also Fauzi who was the first person I met in Manggar) did an incredible job helping us get money, fuel, water and provisions for our trip north.
We left Manggar yesterday afternoon, and as I write this we are motoring through a dead calm in the South China Sea, on our way to Malaysia. We have more fuel on board than we have ever carried, and the seas and currents are not bad so far.
Things are looking up. We should cross the Equator and be back in the Northern Hemisphere in a few days.
Owen
1 48.074S
107 19.977 E
----------
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Friday, November 15, 2013
Crossing the Java Sea - in storms and calms
So we left Bawean Island about 30 hours ago headed for Pangkal Pinang on the Island of Bangka (which administratively is part of Sumatra).
We couldn't find a working ATM on Bawean, so we could only get 75 gallons of fuel. We hope it is enough to go all the way to Bangka. Wind has been light, but we sailed for part of today with thunderstorm winds. Both yesterday and today we've collected over 7 gallons of drinking water, so that helps.
Wind instrument went on the fritz yesterday, so I sprayed it, and we'll see if it comes back. Typical Raymarine behavior. Griffyn's DVD player died yesterday - the last of the portable players so there is much lamenting and gnashing of teeth from that quarter.
We also ran into a bamboo "Fish Exciter" during the night, but no harm done. These little tethered platforms are meant to provide shade and cover for fish, and are not easily seen at night, as they are not lit and don't rise more than inches above the water in some cases.
Rain up ahead. Carrie baked bread and cinnamon bread today.
5 02.600 S
110 41.975 E
294 degrees true at 4.0 knots
Owen
----------
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We couldn't find a working ATM on Bawean, so we could only get 75 gallons of fuel. We hope it is enough to go all the way to Bangka. Wind has been light, but we sailed for part of today with thunderstorm winds. Both yesterday and today we've collected over 7 gallons of drinking water, so that helps.
Wind instrument went on the fritz yesterday, so I sprayed it, and we'll see if it comes back. Typical Raymarine behavior. Griffyn's DVD player died yesterday - the last of the portable players so there is much lamenting and gnashing of teeth from that quarter.
We also ran into a bamboo "Fish Exciter" during the night, but no harm done. These little tethered platforms are meant to provide shade and cover for fish, and are not easily seen at night, as they are not lit and don't rise more than inches above the water in some cases.
Rain up ahead. Carrie baked bread and cinnamon bread today.
5 02.600 S
110 41.975 E
294 degrees true at 4.0 knots
Owen
----------
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Sunday, November 10, 2013
Enroute to Bowean Island - Huge waterspout
So we left for Bowean Island this morning. After some trouble finding our way out through the coral choked entrance we got on our way under power and sail. Wind was from dead aft. And later that died away to only 4 knots.
Around lunch a big rain squall lay just behind us and to Port a bit, when out of it's lower rotating wall, out snaked a thin tendril of blue. Soon the water underneath rose up white to meet the blind reaching arm. In minutes the waterspout had thickened and grown, until it was massive - a 200 meters at the base, and half a mile tall.
We all watched as it grew and twisted and faded and strengthened, then finally disappeared after 15 minutes.
Owen
6 38.874 S/ 114 42.231 E
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radio email processed by SailMail
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Around lunch a big rain squall lay just behind us and to Port a bit, when out of it's lower rotating wall, out snaked a thin tendril of blue. Soon the water underneath rose up white to meet the blind reaching arm. In minutes the waterspout had thickened and grown, until it was massive - a 200 meters at the base, and half a mile tall.
We all watched as it grew and twisted and faded and strengthened, then finally disappeared after 15 minutes.
Owen
6 38.874 S/ 114 42.231 E
----------
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Friday, November 8, 2013
Kangean Island on passage from Bali to Malaysia
Kangean Island
on passage from Bali to Malaysia
November 9, 2013
The nearest large island of the Indonesian Archipelago to the small one where we are currently anchored is Java. There is a fast ferry from the small village here to East Java (we assume.) We have been stuck in this calm anchorage now for 5 days. We stopped here for a night of sleep on our way north to Malaysia. And the next morning as Owen was checking the engine he noticed a drip coming from the coolant tank. After closer inspection and a little digging around, he found a pencil sized hole in the inspection plate which is attached to the bottom of the coolant tank. There are baffles in the tank, so you cannot easily look inside it or push something in there and poke around. He quickly siphoned the tank (for reserve - we do not have any spare bottles of coolant.) Then he got on the phone and called Matthew, the Indonesian mechanic we used in Kupang who is now in Bali, for advice. Matthew suggested that we remove the plate with the hole in it and patch the hole (with gasket material and an aluminum patch,) then reattach it.
Well that sounded good except that our tank is old, the bolts holding the inspection plate are old. And sure enough as Owen tried to remove one, the head of the bolt just broke off. We do not have replacement bolts, nor will there be any in this little village near by. So Owen decided to try a patch of aluminum epoxy putty covered with fiberglass. The next day our engine was spattered with coolant as the putty failed. After cleaning it up, he decided to fashion a plate from the aluminum stock that we have on board. And using the little gasket material we have left, some lock washers and several steel screws, secure his plate over the hole in the old one. Many things could go wrong with this plan - and did over the next 48 hours.
It's taken a couple of tries to get it right - if in fact we have finally gotten it right. The gasket material needs 24 hours to cure, so each try is another day here. There were endless fittings, broken hacksaw blades, continuous hunts for tools (disrupting the whole boat), hopes and prayers about our gasket material (being not too old) and of-course a few choice 'captains words' as Owen banged his head and dropped significant parts into the bilge. Yet he hasn't given up hope. We'll check the latest fix in the morning. The kids and I spent the last couple of days in school, out of the way mostly, except for the day it rained buckets. The night before I had set up a bucket of laundry, that morning I was eager to hang it, instead, we collected 11 gallons of water as bolts of lightning flashed all around us. Owen put small navigation electronics in the oven as we watched the walls of rain advance loudly before they pelted our rain catcher and washed our boat clean. Luckily for us the rainy season has begun. There is no water available on this tiny island. The locals survive on brackish well water for washing and rain water for consumption. But it has hardly rained in 4 months, so there wouldn't be any to spare for us should we run out.
Last night as the dark clouds blew away, and a big red sun set on a fresh horizon, after a day of rain and hanging and re-hanging the laundry, not teaching school and feeling somewhat down about the repairs, I slumped down on deck and just listened to the chanting coming from loudspeakers on shore half a mile away. I must have heard 7 different voices each chanting their own Muslim prayer. As I looked at the bay surrounding me, I gave into the undulating voices and waited for the chanting to awaken my own voice. (In a former life I was a vocalist. I haven't sung much on this trip - quarters are too close.) I began a quiet chant of my own and wished I could see the local mosque.
The agony of waiting for the repairs to "hold" and allow us to continue on our way has made the last couple of days a bit tense. Yet finding this engine leak while at anchor has made this particular problem less difficult - we are relatively comfortable here. It is beautiful. The locals haven't bothered us at all (trying to sell us things.) The weather has been just glorious, mostly sunny with light winds to keep us cool. The sunsets are pretty. This anchorage is more peaceful than anywhere we have been in almost a year. There is almost no swell and best of all, there are no mosquitos! So we can actually enjoy an evening after dark.
There comes a time in every passage where I let go enough of what I cannot control (my own sea sickness, repairs at sea, sick kids, scary weather) and find a bit of peace with the current situation. If Owen cannot repair the leak - maybe it will be just the beginning of another part of a different type of journey. Maybe he would end up on a fast ferry to Java for parts. And maybe Tamsyn or Griffyn would go along. And maybe I'd finish another painting while they are away.
Carrie
----------
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on passage from Bali to Malaysia
November 9, 2013
The nearest large island of the Indonesian Archipelago to the small one where we are currently anchored is Java. There is a fast ferry from the small village here to East Java (we assume.) We have been stuck in this calm anchorage now for 5 days. We stopped here for a night of sleep on our way north to Malaysia. And the next morning as Owen was checking the engine he noticed a drip coming from the coolant tank. After closer inspection and a little digging around, he found a pencil sized hole in the inspection plate which is attached to the bottom of the coolant tank. There are baffles in the tank, so you cannot easily look inside it or push something in there and poke around. He quickly siphoned the tank (for reserve - we do not have any spare bottles of coolant.) Then he got on the phone and called Matthew, the Indonesian mechanic we used in Kupang who is now in Bali, for advice. Matthew suggested that we remove the plate with the hole in it and patch the hole (with gasket material and an aluminum patch,) then reattach it.
Well that sounded good except that our tank is old, the bolts holding the inspection plate are old. And sure enough as Owen tried to remove one, the head of the bolt just broke off. We do not have replacement bolts, nor will there be any in this little village near by. So Owen decided to try a patch of aluminum epoxy putty covered with fiberglass. The next day our engine was spattered with coolant as the putty failed. After cleaning it up, he decided to fashion a plate from the aluminum stock that we have on board. And using the little gasket material we have left, some lock washers and several steel screws, secure his plate over the hole in the old one. Many things could go wrong with this plan - and did over the next 48 hours.
It's taken a couple of tries to get it right - if in fact we have finally gotten it right. The gasket material needs 24 hours to cure, so each try is another day here. There were endless fittings, broken hacksaw blades, continuous hunts for tools (disrupting the whole boat), hopes and prayers about our gasket material (being not too old) and of-course a few choice 'captains words' as Owen banged his head and dropped significant parts into the bilge. Yet he hasn't given up hope. We'll check the latest fix in the morning. The kids and I spent the last couple of days in school, out of the way mostly, except for the day it rained buckets. The night before I had set up a bucket of laundry, that morning I was eager to hang it, instead, we collected 11 gallons of water as bolts of lightning flashed all around us. Owen put small navigation electronics in the oven as we watched the walls of rain advance loudly before they pelted our rain catcher and washed our boat clean. Luckily for us the rainy season has begun. There is no water available on this tiny island. The locals survive on brackish well water for washing and rain water for consumption. But it has hardly rained in 4 months, so there wouldn't be any to spare for us should we run out.
Last night as the dark clouds blew away, and a big red sun set on a fresh horizon, after a day of rain and hanging and re-hanging the laundry, not teaching school and feeling somewhat down about the repairs, I slumped down on deck and just listened to the chanting coming from loudspeakers on shore half a mile away. I must have heard 7 different voices each chanting their own Muslim prayer. As I looked at the bay surrounding me, I gave into the undulating voices and waited for the chanting to awaken my own voice. (In a former life I was a vocalist. I haven't sung much on this trip - quarters are too close.) I began a quiet chant of my own and wished I could see the local mosque.
The agony of waiting for the repairs to "hold" and allow us to continue on our way has made the last couple of days a bit tense. Yet finding this engine leak while at anchor has made this particular problem less difficult - we are relatively comfortable here. It is beautiful. The locals haven't bothered us at all (trying to sell us things.) The weather has been just glorious, mostly sunny with light winds to keep us cool. The sunsets are pretty. This anchorage is more peaceful than anywhere we have been in almost a year. There is almost no swell and best of all, there are no mosquitos! So we can actually enjoy an evening after dark.
There comes a time in every passage where I let go enough of what I cannot control (my own sea sickness, repairs at sea, sick kids, scary weather) and find a bit of peace with the current situation. If Owen cannot repair the leak - maybe it will be just the beginning of another part of a different type of journey. Maybe he would end up on a fast ferry to Java for parts. And maybe Tamsyn or Griffyn would go along. And maybe I'd finish another painting while they are away.
Carrie
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Still at Kangean Island - Troubleshooting Header Tank Leak
Hi again,
Bet you thought we were in Borneo? Well, the "repair" to our Header Tank leak didn't hold. In fact it sprayed coolant all over the engine compartment. So we spent the next day fashioning an aluminum plate that we could attach onto the bottom of the aluminum access plate on the underside of the Header Tank. This involved broken hacksaw blades, drilling holes, measuring 20 times and cutting once, and so on. Then we used much of our high-temperature gasket goop to make the gasket, and attached the whole thing onto the bottom of the damaged access plate.
Wait 24 hours for the gasket to dry, fill up the coolant tank, and start the engine. This time it looks good, but 5 minutes in I see a leak - not from my new plate, but from the old gasket on the old access plate. Shut down the engine, drain coolant, allow to cool. It wasn't a huge leak,but probably would empty the tank in a few hours. No good. Figure out plan C.
Today I cleaned some old gasket material out with a knife blade (very gingerly) and cleaned all surfaces with acetone. Then I drilled one more hole for a bolt to help snug-up the gasket. Forced black gasket goop into the gaps, coated everything six ways from Sunday with goop, and now we wit another 24 hours to test. Ain't life grand ;-)
On the other hand, this a a beautiful bay. Aside by occasional drive-by's from friendly local fisherman, it is silent except when the distant call for prayer drifts out across the water - rising and falling in undulating tones.
Keep your fingers crossed. More later.
Owen
P.S. Carrie will probably ppost something she's been writing about our stay here.
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Bet you thought we were in Borneo? Well, the "repair" to our Header Tank leak didn't hold. In fact it sprayed coolant all over the engine compartment. So we spent the next day fashioning an aluminum plate that we could attach onto the bottom of the aluminum access plate on the underside of the Header Tank. This involved broken hacksaw blades, drilling holes, measuring 20 times and cutting once, and so on. Then we used much of our high-temperature gasket goop to make the gasket, and attached the whole thing onto the bottom of the damaged access plate.
Wait 24 hours for the gasket to dry, fill up the coolant tank, and start the engine. This time it looks good, but 5 minutes in I see a leak - not from my new plate, but from the old gasket on the old access plate. Shut down the engine, drain coolant, allow to cool. It wasn't a huge leak,but probably would empty the tank in a few hours. No good. Figure out plan C.
Today I cleaned some old gasket material out with a knife blade (very gingerly) and cleaned all surfaces with acetone. Then I drilled one more hole for a bolt to help snug-up the gasket. Forced black gasket goop into the gaps, coated everything six ways from Sunday with goop, and now we wit another 24 hours to test. Ain't life grand ;-)
On the other hand, this a a beautiful bay. Aside by occasional drive-by's from friendly local fisherman, it is silent except when the distant call for prayer drifts out across the water - rising and falling in undulating tones.
Keep your fingers crossed. More later.
Owen
P.S. Carrie will probably ppost something she's been writing about our stay here.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
Kangean Island - stopover on way to Kumai - Borneo
So for the last two days we've been at anchor at Kangean Island (6 51.478 S/ 115 14.124 E. It's a beautiful place. Very quiet. Al little fishing community on an island not far away.
The first day was just to rest, but yesterday when we wanted to continue north I noticed that our Header Tank on the engine was leaking coolant. The problem turned out to be a corroded spot on an aluminum access plate on the tank's bottom. We repaired the hole with aluminum epoxy putty, and covered that repair with a 3 millimeter thick layer of epoxy resin. So looks like we are ready to go, but now there is little wind.
Heading for Bowean Island some 165 miles away.
Happy Birthday Jeremy!
Owen
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The first day was just to rest, but yesterday when we wanted to continue north I noticed that our Header Tank on the engine was leaking coolant. The problem turned out to be a corroded spot on an aluminum access plate on the tank's bottom. We repaired the hole with aluminum epoxy putty, and covered that repair with a 3 millimeter thick layer of epoxy resin. So looks like we are ready to go, but now there is little wind.
Heading for Bowean Island some 165 miles away.
Happy Birthday Jeremy!
Owen
----------
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