Category: Sailing
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RIP GPS mushroom
The GPS on Blue Opal has been failing recently, claiming that it can’t get a fix. The common answer in the forums is that the battery has died, and should be replaced – spot welding the tabs will be the hard bit, but doable. So, I took mine off the railing, and discovered that it…
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Running a new bilge pump pipe
The existing pipe for Blue Opal’s electric bilge pump is some sanitation hose that looks like it might have been installed when the boat was built. I’ve been getting odd bits of water in the bilge that can’t be explained by leaks in the stern or at the mast, so I decided to clean and…
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Pull-handle for the water tank locker
Blue Opal’s water tanks are in the bow, under the master cabin berths. The boards that cover the lockers are a pain to remove, because they’re a friction fit. However, given there are two shut-off valves in the locker, I decided to make it a bit easier to get the locker boards up. Having experienced…
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Post-work sail
In from work, a lovely sunny day, nice breezes – only one thing to do; tie the RIB to the mooring, and go sailing.
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Re-sealing the mast, tracing a pipe
The tape that sealed the gaiter to the mast had fallen off, so that needed to be addressed before Blue Opal sank from rain water accumulation. Easy enough, self-amalgamating tape and a lot of tension. One of the jobs to do in June is change the sanitation pipe for the head, fit a new pump…
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Snubbers and rubbers
One of the slightly irritating things about Blue Opal is that she’s fairly heavy, and when on a pontoon, her weight plus windage plus mooring warps can equate to “squeak, creak, jerk”. It also equates to her teak toerail caps being worn down by the ropes as the rub. A bit of searching, and I…