Tinker, tinker, tinker ...

A belated blog. With the promise of a new entry on Monday did not quite work. I first had a new entry for the site of Boris Herrmann touch, of just the Normandy Channel Race sails. Here are our experiences:

The past weekend was once again extremely stressful, but also successfully. I just noticed my muscles in my upper arms, as I type this. Above all, yesterday I took a long time hanging upside down in the engine room, Tubing pulled and moved the cable to the sonar transducer. I lean over head as far down there and get over into several corners must, that task was Catis, to sit on my legs and to complain to, because otherwise I would certainly have lost my balance and ended up in there 😉

But I'm starting from scratch: On Friday, I'm against 13 Clock Feierabend, grab and go unceremoniously over to Bremen (an hour from here), to the surprise of the supplementary budget (Thanks again!!! :-)) become possible to make personal purchases equal. When I met Nico SCC of the Ballyhoo. Boot from a full charge and to McDonalds, on a common coffee. Shortly after six, it goes further than Hamburg to Kiel, Cati collect, and then after Kopperby. Quick is the small, wonderful Together plug-grill, The gave me my father three years ago (and the three years was under the bed …) up, a couple of hot dogs roasted and covered the bunk.

The next morning begins at eight. The loop is peacefully, glassy. The morning sun is very hot. In the T-shirt we can sit outside on the aft deck and flush the first two cups of coffee. Then it goes to work: Catis task is first, to replace the plastic triangles on the hatches. I quickly take it off but the screwdriver, because those things very much firmer sit, than expected. Last week I stupidly put on a hatch, in the ventilation mode, So was a little open. It broke so from an interlocking triangle. But that was good - because we recognize, that these things are all fragile. The UV rays have made them brittle. A triangle costs 2 Euro. So now rather replace all, rather than later, to break one on the ocean and close the hatch will not be able to.

Cati has planned for this weekend, the salon to paint final. New to them. Although she has painted many walls, but a completely different paint brushes her. After a short briefing they get it really going well. I make myself in the meantime it, replace the old and partly broken navigation lights in the building. The old ones were designed for small pleasure craft on inland lakes and not approved for this boat. The new feature LED inserts and BSH approved. A very nice Prokelei, rauszubekommen the old sealant and get to the copper cable.

As Cati is through with the first layer of paint, We go with the boat “Klein Erna” and a borrowed outboard to Kappeln, are invited to nice neighbors for coffee bar. Rafting is another “first time” for Cati - and it's so much fun, that your own outboard has jumped a few points up on the priority list 🙂

In the evening we will grill with “Piano-Peter” Nina and the “Plan”. The throw two green onions onto rust. I've never done. But tastes excellent. Give it a try! After a bottle of wine in the cockpit “Plan” we are already at 12 Clock in the HeLa.

Next morning, again we are awake at eight clock. All bakers have to, So we have to bake our own bread. The gas system and the oven, we have used so far have not often. I wanted to make a precaution all new gas pipes (or can even make), because the risk is on a sailing boat already quite large. Gas sinks to the lowest point. As a pump when there, will's loud. If all our bottles of, we have 30 Beams an Bord Gas. That would be very loud bang. Probably the loop would then empty. So I have the system not yet want to use. The solution is, however, a leak detection spray from the camping-accessories, I ansprühe all the pipes and joints. What would be leaking somewhere, would blow the liquid hitting. If it does not. So we bake bread. Is already a great luxury, such an oven. The gas detector, I'm for a lot of money (50 Euro!) I bought, is a design flaw: First the gas sniffer is sitting in the housing, why they block the whole thing so deep in the ship's position must – and then connected to the rear also plus and minus. Really, any gas in the vicinity of the gas Warner, the power supply could cause an explosion. I'm gonna give better returns ...

Last major task is a new piece of equipment, I've always wanted to have: A Boiler. Sounds crazy, it is quite clear even with cold water, But we want to go in cold regions. The boat version of a 22-liter boiler has a lot of gadgets: The first thing is to 110 to 240 Was, can therefore be inserted in the USA. In addition, the internal cooling circuit of the motor with connected. If the engine is running then half an hour, is also the hot water heater and it remains for 24 Hours. Go the other way around the boat to shore power, The boiler was heated electrically, then the engine will start with warm water cooling. For washing, we had previously always boil water. Now it comes hot from the tap. Strong! 🙂 Then he can now too 25 Year old gas water heater kicked out in the galley. I trust that is no longer.

Another piece of equipment we have brought on board. A Hydrogenerator. A marvel of engineering: By water flowing past a rotating propeller, incredible amount of electricity generated, without braking. Boris Herrmann had two of them on the “Neutrogena”. Unfortunately we can not keep the generator but, but have it only for testing purposes on board. The results of the tests then you read the end of summer in the YACHT. I'm really excited to.

So, But now photos ...

John