First is the size of the vessel. Crystal Esprit is sleek and nimble, with a shallow draft of less than ten feet.
She was launched at Weeks Yachtyard late on a Monday afternoon, a quick check of the bilge seemed normal and we all went home. On Tuesday morning she was resting on the bottom of the travel lift slip with water inside the boat about a foot above the engine.
A panic call from the yard when they started work got me rushing down, Kevin had already got pumps in the boat but they would do no good until the leak was stopped. I splashed my way forward with water up to my thighs. Now the pumps would be effective and by lunchtime Fiona was floating again.
They maneuvered the lifting straps back under the boat and by mid-afternoon she was back on the cradle where she had been the day before, considerably the worse for wear. I never put my finger on why the hose detached, it was one-inch diameter manifold that fed water to the head and wash-down pump.
I had done no work in the forward head plumbing the previous winter. Water in the main cabin after Fiona sank on launching. It is crucial after a drowning in salt water to thoroughly wash down everything in fresh water before the sea water has a chance to dry.
Fortunately my son Colin was staying with me, the two of us rushed through the boat emptying lockers and washing the interior with a hose. The deck was soon littered with gear from the interior drying in the hot sun.
Contents of the boat drying on deck. Fortunately the weather was dry. The next priority was the diesel engine, we pumped out the sump and removed the starter, which was obviously ruined.
This exposed the starter ring, Colin laboriously turned over the engine after adding new lube oil by prizing the teeth on the ring with a large screw driver.
Eventually he completed six full revolutions. The 12 volt system had destroyed itself by comprehensive electrolytic action, starting with four heavy duty batteries. These we replaced and I bought many feet of thick marine style wire and large swage type terminals so that I could start to rebuild the backbone of the 12 volt distribution system.
Heavy duty terminals destroyed by electrolysis In the meanwhile I hired three teenagers, sons of a friend of my daughter, to thoroughly wash down the insides of lockers and the cabin furniture with detergent, all were covered with a nasty scum of dirt and grease.
All the electrical accessories; starter, alternators, shaft generator, etc were dispatched by the yard to an auto electric expert, some items were replaced and some rebuilt. After a few days Fiona was refloated when the errant hose was replaced.
To my relief the engine fired up nicely after a new starter was installed and the lube oil was recycled again. We turned our attention to the transmission, the fluid was replaced several times and then it was put into gear. After a few trials we found the fluid was draining into the pan under the engine, clearly a leaking seal.
There was no alternative but to lift the engine and transmission out of the boat and have the transmission overhauled by an expert. By this time Colin had returned home and I had been joined by my new crew, Neil. Instead of cruising the Atlantic he found himself working in a hot, dirty engine room, at least, temporarily.
The yard gang removed the engine using the travel lift once we had disconnected assorted wires, pipes, hoses and control cables, a task that took a couple of days. We also disassembled the steering system as this had to be removed with the cockpit sole to gain access to the engine.
He estimated repairs would take ten days. This gave us the chance to clean and paint the engine and engine room space, mostly carried out by my helpful neighbor, John.
Neil also took the time to spend a couple of days sightseeing in New York City. The technician had no firm reason to account for the seal failure which could be traced to the entry of sea water; it was never operated until the fluid had been changed several times.
Neil celebrates completion of the engine paint job. Eric, Tim and Neilthe crew for the first part of the cruise. We were about five weeks later than the original schedule and I decided to head directly for the Azores rather than a stop in Canada as first planned.
The hurricane season was advancing and it was prudent to get into the eastern Atlantic as soon as possible. Bob accompanied us down the river and into the bay aboard Fireplace. As usual I planned a stop in Block Island. En route the engine badly over heated in the vicinity of the Robert Moses bridge.
We anchored and found the intake was pugged by sea grass.Find all Place answers to your Wheel of Fortune (mobile app) puzzles!
Use category filters (like number of words, number of letters in each word and letters shown) and will see all possible results from which you can further filter and find your answer. The West Indies Yacht Club was founded for yachtsmen, marine officers, sailing enthusiasts and vessels owners, whether with engine or sails, to promote sailing and classic yachting, maintain, protect maritime heritage and improve sailing techniques as well as vessels performances.
With the debut of the passenger Crystal Esprit ™, our past guests will notice two significant departures from what we provide aboard our larger ashio-midori.com is the size of the vessel. Crystal Esprit is sleek and nimble, with a shallow draft of less than ten feet. Newly renovated sq feet ground floor level unit in building 8.
1 bedroom with ensuite, separate guest powder room. Open concept kitchen, dining, living room, opens to screened porch on two sides. Part 1, July to November The start of this year’s cruise was hardly auspicious; Fiona began at the bottom, or, more literally, on the bottom.
She was launched at Weeks Yachtyard late on a Monday afternoon, a quick check of the bilge seemed normal and we all went home.
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