SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip
| Vessel Name: | Panta Rhei |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Able Apogee 50 |
| Hailing Port: | Seattle |
| Crew: | Larry and Karen |
| Social: |
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18 September 2017 | Seattle
We are back in Seattle
It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.
23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
The dinghy holds air again
It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!
15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy
We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.
19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
Moving On
"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]
17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now
We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]
03 June 2017 | Seward AK
Crossing the Gulf of Alaska
We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?
We know the cause for the engine overheating now
Infrared thermometers are now available that you can point and read the surface temperature. They are inexpensive and they work amazingly well. Every boat ought to have one. Panta Rhei does. It turns out that you can read the temperature of the thermostat housing and know instantly whether your temperature sensor and meter in your engine cluster are giving correct readings. Ours were. The overheating was real. Drat. Next test is the full throttle rpm that the engine can develop. Ours is supposed to develop 3600+/- 200 rpm. When the engine was new, we measured 3400 rpm. Now we just get 3200 rpm. (Do this test quickly before the engine overheats!). I slipped into the water and re-pitched our prop (flatter for more rpm) and retested. Voila' 3600 rpm. AND wonder of wonders the engine no longer overheated at all. We ran it continuously at 2800 rpm (max allowable continuous) and the temperature stayed in regulation. Further investigation showed 35% leakage in 3 cylinders, 5% leakage in the remaining cylinder. So what had happened is that our compression had decreased, decreasing our horsepower output. The cooling water available is a function of engine rpm since that drives the vane pump for the salt water. At lower rpm there wasn't enough cooling water available to stay in regulation (with the thermostat). Re-pitching the prop gives more cooling available for less hp output and solves the problem. But of course, if you want all the horsepower the engine is supposed to develop, you have to re-ring the cylinders. So we are doing that. The important thing is that we know why and therefore can have confidence that the actions we have taken will completely solve the problem
Ed and Connie Queseda have arrived and we are beginning to plan for our trip to the Copper Canyon. It turns out that all our friends stayed at the Hotel Barancas Mirador http://hotelesbalderrama.com/mirador.htm which is the center of activities and an awesome looking resort. Then we plan to go to a horse ranch http://www.mexicohorse.com/ and of course ride the train there and back. That's the basic plan. The rest is travel detail. That's the plan. And while all this happens Total Yacht Works will be fixing our engine. Nice.
The picture is of Rafael who is the principal technician for our engine repair.
