May 2022: Cruising the Southern Loop

Our Track on the Southern Loop

 After a few months of delightful Florida “winter” weather, and equally delightful visits from family escaping the cold climes up north, it was time to take Ghost Rider on an extended trip.  We were all caught up on boat maintenance tasks – including the repair of some old gelcoat chips and a complete wash-polish-wax of all fiberglass surfaces – so we were anxious for an extended sea trial in preparation for an upcoming sortie to the Bahamas. 

The “Southern Loop” route is a (very) miniature version of the Great Loop covering about 460 miles via a largely circular path around the southern third of Florida.  While it can be attacked in either direction, we headed upriver from Fort Myers to Clewiston on Lake O, then to Stuart, down the east coast to Fort Lauderdale, thence to Marathon in the Florida Keys, and finally back home going up the west coast of the state.  We were one of five other boats from our local Grady-White club, most of whom were new to both the brand and extended cruising.

Wed, 18-May, Fort Myers to Clewiston

Compared to the other five boats in our small fleet, this was a short leg for us.  They had to run nearly two hours south from Punta Gorda to reach the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, whereas that’s where we were starting.  Nevertheless, all had to traverse three locks enroute to Clewiston on Lake Okeechobee, so combined with several go-slow no-wake zones along the way, it still took about five hours to cover the 70+ miles to Roland Martin Marina on the southern shore of Lake O, arriving around 1500.

Our Small Fleet Heads Upriver

By now Roland Martin’s has become a historic fixture on the Okeechobee Waterway, and a very convenient halfway stopover point on the inland route across the state of Florida.  Docking is dead-nuts simple on their long stretch of floating dock, their outdoor Tiki Bar serves up decent food and drink at reasonable prices, and they have an onsite (although modest) motel for boaters needing accommodations.  (We were the only cabin boat in the fleet, so that was an important marina feature on this Loop journey.)  It’s location between the lake and the Everglades, however, demanded generous amounts of Deet as sunset neared. 

Parallel Parking at Roland Martin's Floating Dock

Thu, 19-May, Clewiston to Stuart

A flood control gate separates Roland Martin’s from Lake O and for some unknown reason it was closed as we prepared to depart the following morning; but by 0930 we were finally underway again.  The 25 mile trip across Lake O was a smooth cruise and passing through the lock at Port Mayaca was as easy as it gets – straight through with no water level change.  Unfortunately the railroad lift bridge on the east side of the lock was just lowering to accommodate a passing train (after many crossings, a first for us), so we still had to loiter for about 20 minutes.  (Interesting side note: that lift bridge can raise no higher than 49 feet above normal water level, making it the limiting factor for vessel air draught when transiting the Okeechobee Waterway.) 

The Mayaca RR Lift Bridge Being Lowered

We saw quite a bit of boat traffic on this leg of the journey, most of it headed east as well.  We came upon a low-moving trawler at one point on the St. Lucie River, and in exchange for a slow pass (which we would have provided regardless) its skipper offered to take photos of our small flotilla.  He made good on his word and posted them to Google Pics at this LINK.

By the time we arrived at the last lock around 1230 (St. Lucie) and its 14-foot water level drop we had eight boats wanting to transit….it was a tight fit but we got all eight squeezed in and locked through.  We arrived in Stuart and Manatee Pocket about two hours later, but before proceeding to dock at Pirate’s Cove Marina we stopped about a quarter mile short to take on fuel at Sailfish Marina – mainly to avoid queuing up with all the others at the marina fuel dock.  And nothing quite illustrates the cost of boat ownership as much as pumping 150 gallons of 90 octane ethanol-free fuel into your tanks in an inflationary economy.

Squeezing Eight Boats Into the St. Lucie Lock

We enjoyed a group dinner together at the marina restaurant, and given the iffy weather forecast for the next day agreed on an earlier start for the next leg to Fort Lauderdale.

Fri, 20-May, Stuart to Fort Lauderdale

To this point our weather had been very good – hot and humid to be sure, but mostly sunny and storm-free.  However, the weather guessers were anticipating a fairly stormy day for Friday, so in cloudy but dry conditions we pushed off from Pirate’s Cove around 0800, pointing the bow towards the St. Lucie Inlet and the open Atlantic Ocean.  And it got a little bumpy.

There was a brisk wind out of the southeast and seas were running around four feet with a healthy wind chop on top.  Normally we would have slowed down a bit when punching into a head sea, but we could see several clusters of storms both on radar and on the boat’s XM weather displays, all moving towards us from the ESE…so we kept the throttle up.  While most of our Grady formation was attempting a single-file formation, we wanted no part of that yo-yo effect – so we steered Ghost Rider into a fanned out echelon position on the lead boat, set the trim tabs to lower the sharp bow into the waves, and punched the autopilot heading-hold.  That made for a relatively stress-free ride in spite of the short period square waves and occasional rain shower. 

Our Track Down the East Coast Has a Gap in it Just South of
Stuart....Because We Forgot to Turn On the Tracking Device.

The Fort Lauderdale inlet was predictably messy and busy, but we had beat the storm cells, and once we rounded the corner to the 17^th Street bridge the short (1.5 mile) ride to the Bahia Mar Marina was blissfully smooth.  All boats got docked up in the south basin shortly after 1300 without too much drama, and we spent a solid hour hosing off salt from the Grady.

 Sat, 21-May, Fort Lauderdale

The fleet took a down day on Saturday and remained in port.  Wind and periodic storms made any potential fishing sorties unappealing, so Rick just chilled and relaxed and putzed around the boat, while Chelle launched off on some walking & shopping  expeditions with the gal pals.  That evening the nasty weather finally cleared and we got to spend some time with Milt and Judy Baker, fellow ex-Nordhavn owners.  Milt is also the founder and (still) the chief moderator of the Nordhavn Owner’s Group (aka NOG) where Rick is also a co-moderator.  They brought along a bottle of wine which we enjoyed aboard Ghost Rider, and were treated to good pizza at one of their favorite local haunts.

Our Grady-White Fleet Lined Up at Bahia Mar

Sun, 22-May, Fort Lauderdale to Marathon

The winds were still whipping around the following day, churning the open Atlantic into a washing machine, so we reluctantly agreed to take the “inside” ICW route on the sortie south to Marathon, with a 0900 departure.  The portion between Lauderdale and Miami was, to nobody’s surprise, an absolute slog….that 26 mile stretch required nearly three hours to traverse before we got into Biscayne Bay.  From there it was another three hours to cover the next 90 miles to Marathon in the mid-Keys.

The "Inside" (ICW) Route from Lauderdale to Miami is a Lot of This....

....And This....

Unfortunately once we arrived at the entrance to the Banana Bay Marina, we could not raise any response on VHF or by phone for more than 30 minutes; since its marina basin is fairly small it was a “one-at-a-time” docking procedure, so it took a while longer to get situated.  This was our first visit to Banana Bay, and their fixed wooden docks and power pedestals were in excellent condition; unfortunately we couldn’t say the same for their transient showers & restrooms – those are in dire need of a tear down and rebuild.  Supposedly that is on their renovation schedule for some time in the future. 

The Banana Bay Marina Basin is a Little Snug but Slip Space is Generous and the
Fixed Wooden Docks are in Excellent Condition

Ghost Rider All Tucked in at Banana Bay

Mon/Tue, 23-24-May, Marathon

The sea forecast for the next two days was fairly awful – four-to-six feet with continuing blustery winds, but we were now well clear of convective activity and enjoyed abundant sunshine.  On Monday we decided to venture out anyway for an attempt at offshore mahi fishing, setting out around 0915.  Ron Ingram from buddy boat Open View joined us as a third crewmember as he had never gone trolling before.  We cut under the Seven Mile Bridge at Knight’s Channel and stopped at Burdine’s fuel dock to fuel up (200 more gallons) and take on a load of ice for the fish box.  The old timer manning the pump gave us a quizzical look and warned that we were headed into “very nautical” conditions; but he indicated the fishing had been good lately.

Ron and Our $1200 Mahi

We deployed the outriggers in nearshore calm waters before heading due south, and once beyond the reef indeed encountered those very, very nautical conditions.  But we persisted and at about the two-hour mark Ron reeled in his first ever mahi-mahi.  Another of our Grady club, DillyDally, followed us out for their first fishing foray in the Keys, but that was the only other boat we saw all morning.  A third Grady, ReelTight, was also out there somewhere on the troll, but we never laid eyes on them.

Ron did a great job bringing the fish to the boat in some pretty lousy conditions, but understandably was starting to feel a little queasy in the lumpy seas.  So not wanting to ruin the day, Rick cut the sortie a little short and we ran back to the smooth waters on the bay side, docked up back at Banana Bay around 1400, and enjoyed a cold celebratory beer. 

As it turned out we had caught the only fish that day.  Chelle cleaned and fileted it, Rick grilled it, and we enjoyed some very fresh mahi that night for dinner on the boat.

Wind and seas were just as ugly the next day, perhaps even a bit worse, so we enjoyed another down day, biding time at the waterside bar and swimming pool, and prepping for the long ride home the following day.

Chelle Making Filets from Our Mahi Catch

Poolside Portrait at Banana Bay....Fearless Flotilla Leader, Fred, in the
Foreground, the Remainder Clustered in the Background

Wed, 25-May, Marathon to Fort Myers

We cast off at 0800 the next morning and headed north.  About halfway through Florida Bay the continuing stiff southeast wind had churned up quite a washboard ride, but that eased considerably once we got around Cape Romano Shoals and tucked in close to shore near Marco Island.  By now our small fleet of Grady-White’s had learned the benefits of fanning out into an echelon formation vs. suffering the accordion effect of single file, and that was good to see.  Apart from the breeziness, the weather was otherwise fine with partly cloudy skies and temps in the mid-to-upper 80’s.  We were back at our home dock by 1330, covering the final 140 miles of the Southern Loop in 5.5 hours. 

The Grady Fleet Scoots for Home on the Last Leg of the Loop

Aftermath

On the day we returned home from our eight-day trek around southern Florida, Rick came down with Covid-19.  Even with four shots of the Moderna vaccine, it kicked his butt, the worst of it being a wicked sore throat for about five days.  (“Death by a thousand swallows.”)  As far as we know, nobody else in our group developed any symptoms.

As for the boat, Ghost Rider performed fairly well, with only a few annoying caveats.  With all the salt water we took over the bow (and occasionally over the hard top) we definitely found some water leaks; one appears to be along the rub-rail seam; another was through a loose wiper motor mount; and another might have been due to several under-torqued bolt/nut attachments that secure forward parts of the helm superstructure.

Two LED rope light sections in the forward cabin failed; one was just a loose connection, the other was a failed string; tearing apart parts of the interior to repair those was how we found some of the water leak sources.  A ceiling mounted LED light fixture in the helm area also partially broke from its spring tension mount (fixed with some Life Caulk.)

Finally, on the last leg home the Yamaha engine computer reported some unknown and very unspecific error for the starboard engine – no details whatsoever were available in the computer’s log, and the engine continued to run flawlessly.  A reboot (a shutdown followed by battery switch cycling) cleared that up, likely just a transient voltage issue not handled by the firmware.  And lastly, the Garmin VHF radio would not power up on the final day – that turned out to be a separated bullet connector in the power wire underneath the electronics box; easily fixed and reinforced to prevent future occurrences.

Some pertinent pics follow at the bottom of the blog entry.

And Then the Tropics

This year’s hurricane season didn’t waste any time getting started.  A Cat-2 hurricane plowed into the west coast of Mexico in late May, fell apart as it crossed the isthmus, then tried to reform in the Gulf of Mexico in early June, while taking aim at our area in southwest Florida.  A lot of upper-level windshear has been keeping it disorganized, and at most just a major rainmaker for us.  Nonetheless we spooled the boat high on its lift and attached several extra anti-sway lines to guard against surge and wind gusts.  The disturbance did not make tropical storm status (“Alex”) until it had passed well to our east.

Upcoming

If Rick can manage to pass the required Covid test, next up is a trip to the Bahamas planned for 8-Jun to 16-Jun.  Going from here to Key Largo, Bimini and Chubb Cay – and hopefully some fishing there – is the general plan.  We’ll keep y’all posted on how all that goes. 

The Lack of Details on This Engine Error Message Was More Annoying Than the Error

After Removing the Cabin Ceiling Panel We Had Access to its Rope Lights (Red Arrow), the Wiper Motor (Green Arrow), and Three Bolt+Nut Attaching Points (All of Which Were Loose.)

Close-up of One of the (3) Loose Nuts...Required a 13/16" Deep Socket to Tighten

Close-up of the Wiper Motor...the Yellow Arrow Points to the (Very) Loose Mount Which Also Leaked Water from the Topside.  We Replaced the Threaded (and Stripped) Machine Screw with a Stainless Bolt/Washer/Locknut Combination and Bedded with Life Caulk.  The Mechanisms Also Got a Generous Coating of Corrosion Block Spray.

The Rope Lights on the Starboard Side of the Cabin....Yellow Arrow Points to the Repaired
Connection; Green Arrow Points to the Cover Assembly That Was Removed to Access Them; Red
Arrows Point to the Receiver Holes Used to Remount/Dismount the Cover.

Shot of the Completed Repairs with Cabin Ceiling Back in Place.

August 2020: Humility, Health & Hurricanes

Foreword:  We continue to remain cautious with our Covid protocols and healthy as well, and hope the same is true for all y'all.  We know some others are not so lucky.  And we remind ourselves that students are called students because they still have a lot to learn – including basic common sense.  Our youth have an excuse for their occasional incompetence and idiocy.  The rest of us do not.  

There’s nothing quite like a boat project (or two) to occasionally remind you that you’re not near as handy as you previously thought.  Or, perhaps, once were.  If you ever wonder why some vessel owners can seem rather humble at times, there is likely a causal connection to some boat project.  But since humility is a healthy sign of emotional maturity, we're OK with that.

Keeping ourselves and Ghost Rider healthy and happy while (still) confined to port was the main goal for August, mainly to be able to move to our RFYC hurricane hole should the tropical weather patterns call for that.  The official tropical forecast from the weather-guessers had just recently increased the expected number of named storms to 24 (yikes) and the expected hurricane count to 12 – which basically gave us the distinct potential for the equivalent of two full storm seasons packed into one. 

Secondary goals included getting the dinghy davit (crane) back in operation and completing the Racor fuel filter conversions.  But neither of those was going very smoothly.

Break/Fix (Davit Update)

Both Ross (of Classic Marine) and Rick had been active in the hunt for replacement parts, mainly for the corroded hydraulic reservoir tank.  As it turns out, the hydraulic pump, motor and manifold assembly, which were theoretically still serviceable, have to be matched to the opening fitment on the reservoir, which was most certainly not serviceable, nor recoverable. 

The Crate Containing the New HPU for the Davit
Was a Work of Art

Basically that meant they had to be matched and replaced together as what’s known as an HPU, or hydraulic power unit.  Ross had found a potential third party source, but wasn’t certain it would fit in the limited space we had available in the base of the crane.  Rick had contacted the manufacturer, Aritex, located in Taiwan, and they committed to providing a factory original HPU for two and a half Boat Units….plus $500 USD shipping via DHL air freight.  And that’s the option we took.  (If you’re curious, a whole new hydraulic crane of similar capacity runs in the neighborhood of 20 Boat Units.)

The new HPU did not arrive here in the USA until 19-August, with the crate weighing in at 65 kilograms (143 pounds), and it took Rick 45 minutes to remove the 30 rather beefy wood screws securing the top and four cross members that secured the cargo inside.  Overall measurements of the new HPU matched up favorably with the old parts, but that’s where the similarities ended.  The motor was actually bigger, the hydraulic manifold was mounted in a different location, and electrical connections were lacking.  Ross took it to his shop where a lot of surgery is currently in progress to see if we can make it work.

The New HPU (Tank, Manifold, Valves & Motor) for the Davit

Project Work

Our little “Racor conversion” project by now had morphed into something a bit more involved than originally anticipated.  After installing the fire deflector on the wing engine’s primary filter, we did the same for the transfer pump filter.  But after a couple days that one developed a slow leak.  Out of an abundance of caution Rick decided to replace all the remaining fuel bowls – after 18 years they were quite discolored – but in the end the real key was to not over-torque the brass nut securing the heat deflector shield to the plastic bowl...which would deform the sealing o-ring and allow fuel seepage.

Rick Saved the Racor Conversion for the Genset for
Last...It Had to be Completely Removed from the Fuel
Lines & Bulkhead (Yellow Arrow) & then Disassembled
(Red Arrow) to be Converted.

In the process we had also found that three of our filter brackets required adding a 5/8” starboard backing plate to provide enough room for the increased diameter of the heat deflectors.  Rick also had to remove and relocate two “Algae-X” filters for the wing engine and generator.  There was some added frustration after discovering some of the Racor parts kits were missing o-rings or washers, installation instructions on washer sequence sometimes differed between parts kits, and at least one of the brass nuts used to attach the deflector to the fuel bowl was threaded for the old-style bowls from the 1990’s.

Eventually we got it all figured out and corrected.  We sourced most major parts from the Racor Store (LINK), but also tried Discount Racor (LINK), although they were painfully slow, delivered the wrong part, and we saw nothing resembling a discount from them. As mentioned in our previous post we sourced the UL rated brass draincocks and plugs from McMaster-Carr (LINK), and in contrast they were very prompt, and all of their stuff fit correctly.  As an extra precaution Rick applied Loctite 565 to the male threads of those draincocks during assembly, but that was likely overkill given their NPTF threads.

It took a lot longer than expected, but it was very satisfying to have converted the five Racor secondary fuel filters to a much safer, fire-tolerant configuration.

The Final Result -- All Five Racors Converted with Fire Protection Deflector Shields with Brass Draincocks & Plugs

And An “Aw Shit” Event

Lastly, Rick managed to create a new maintenance opportunity during what should have been a routine activity….cleaning the A/C strainer basket.  But after removing said basket and while cleaning it dockside with a high pressure water hose, he lost his grip on it and the power of the water stream shot the thing off the dock like it was a Roman candle.  And straight into the marina basin.  He verified stainless steel strainer baskets do not float, and that we had no spare on board.

This is the Stainless Steel Strainer Basket for the A/C
that Took a Dip in the Marina.  Based on What West
Marine Charges for One, It Belongs in a Bank Safe.

We did not want the boat to be without air conditioning in the stifling Florida humidity for the several days it would take a reasonably priced replacement to arrive.  So Rick found an overpriced one at the nearby West Marine and got the system back in operation the same day.  About a week later when the diver showed up for Ghost Rider’s monthly below-the-waterline cleaning, Rick asked him to scour the silty bottom, and he did manage to retrieve the wayward strainer basket.  So now we have a spare.

And Then There Was the Weather

The first half of August was just the typical hot, humid and stormy stuff in south Florida.  But the second half got more interesting.  By 19-August the NHC was tracking the next two systems, one in the western Caribbean (which would eventually become TS Marco) and another in the western Atlantic (and would be dubbed Hurricane Laura.)  While the former was not a factor for us, the latter was initially forecast to take direct aim at our area, and potentially at hurricane strength. 

The Original Forecast Track for Laura Was....Concerning

River Forest (our hurricane hidey hole) gave us some pretty short notice on a narrow arrival window; we decided against moving the boat there for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was low confidence in any of the early model calculations.  It was becoming clear that even the best of the predictive weather models were not dealing well with the changing climate conditions.  But we added extra lines and fenders to Ghost Rider just in case and kept careful watch on the evolving forecast.

Eventually the Tracks for Both Marco & Laura Shifted Well to Our West

Luckily (for us anyway) over time the predicted and actual path of Laura increasingly shifted to the south and west, eventually missing us by a full 500 miles.  The northwest Gulf coast was not so lucky, as the hurricane made landfall at Cameron, LA as a Category 4 storm packing 150 MPH winds and pushing 12 feet of storm surge in spots.

We’re now halfway through the tropical storm season, with only three months to go.  Stay tuned, we're sure as hell paying attention.

Ultimately Hurricane Laura Spooled Up to a Cat-4 Storm & Clobbered Louisiana on 27-August

....

After Laura Departed Four More Areas of Potential Development Appeared.  Long Way to Go in This Season....

....

July 2020: More Maintenance & Projects

Foreword:  We’re still observing our healthful Covid protocols and staying safe, although here in Florida a lot of folks seem intent on making that increasingly difficult.  Hurricane Isaias isn’t helping any, although thankfully we are not directly impacted by that.  

The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team Flies Their AT-6 Texans with Beautiful Precision

Apart from trying to keep the boat clean, keeping up with routine maintenance, and occasionally exercising engines and systems, our focus this month has been trying to find a fix for the busted crane up on the boat deck.  But first we’re going to back up and start at the beginning of the month.

Independence Day!

As a three generation military family every July 4^th we appreciate and enjoy our Independence Day celebration.  It’s a fabulous USA holiday that celebrates the beginning of a marvelous experiment, albeit one in some jeopardy these days.  We flew Old Glory both at the condo and the boat all day, and respectfully retired the colors at sunset.  In between we made sure we were at the marina to witness the celebratory flyover by the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team (LINK), in their precision fourship formation of AT-6 Texans directly over Ghost Rider. That vintage WWII aircraft (in service since 1938) is the one in which Rick’s father learned to fly back in the early ‘40’s before deploying to the Pacific Theater….and deserves its own salute.  Short amateurish video below.

Regular Maintenance

A few days later it was time for our periodic “running of the diesels”, normally not a routine with which we need to be concerned, but which is worth mentioning during a time when so many boats and boaters (like us) are stuck in port.  While Nordhavn vessels and their Lugger diesels have proven to be largely indestructible, our goal is to minimize the expensive service opportunities along the way.  Keeping systems exercised helps with that.

Just running an engine for a few minutes does more harm than good – failing to bring it all the way to the normal operating temperature range will just promote internal condensation, corrosion and the early demise of both coolant and oil.  In reality that requires running them for at least 30 to 45 minutes, and where possible under load.  

The Genset Instrument Cluster, with the Yellow Arrow Highlighting the Much
Too High Temperature Gauge Reading of 210F

That means activating as many engine-driven systems as possible and exercising them as well.  For the main engine that includes the stabilizers and alternators, as well as bumping into gear for working the transmission and packing gland.  (You want to be double-tied to very sturdy dock cleats for this part.)  For the wing engine that entails running the hydraulic thrusters.  And for the generator we disconnect from shore power and run full electrical loads.  Finally, the steering system – helm pumps, steering ram and autopilot pump – all get a short workout, too.

Break/Fix Opportunities

During the generator exercise period we noticed its coolant temperature gauge was reading high – up to 210F, well above its optimum target of 185F (its thermostat opens at 180F).  Shooting the engine’s coolant expansion tank with the infrared temperature gun confirmed that it was indeed running at normal temp, so we knew we had some sort of gauge issue and not an actual mechanical problem.  (The genset also has an internal fail safe switch that automatically shuts down the unit at 205F.)  It was time for some sleuthing.

The Back End of the Generator Where the Ground Wires Terminate.  Yellow
Arrow Indicates Gauge Grounding Bolt, Green is for the Bonding Wires.

We had learned from the Nordy owners forum that this wasn’t a particularly unusual problem, and that just replacing the gauge rarely if ever resolved the problem.  While the sending unit was a possibility, that wasn’t likely either – when that goes wonky, it’s usually a total failure.  It was much more probable that one or more ground wires on the engine needed attention, and in the end that proved true in this case.  On our L843 (12 KW) generator Rick eventually located two 10MM bolts securing a total of three grounding wires plus three other bonding wire straps at the junction box bracket.  Disassembling those and then thoroughly cleaning, sanding/filing, and then coating the ring terminals with dielectric grease before reassembling did the trick.  Rick also rearranged them a bit to isolate the smaller grounding wires from the larger bonding straps.

The Genset Instrument Cluster, with the Yellow Arrow Now Highlighting
the Improved Temperature Gauge Reading of 190F Following Ground
Wire Removal, Cleanup & Reattachment.

The genset’s temp gauge still reads slightly high compared to the IR gun reading, but knowing that analog gauges aren’t particularly accurate in the first place, we can live with it.  (This is the reason that in most cars you now mostly see either “idiot lights” instead of gauges, or at best their gauges have rather wide pointer ranges in between “low” and “high” pegs at the extremes.  The gauges with precise graduations are rarely better than false advertising, better to treat them as trending indicators.)

Now, about that busted crane.  At the end of last month’s blog post we mentioned that our Aritex HSC-610 davit had developed an onerous problem – we traced a nasty hydraulic fluid leak to a corroded reservoir tank in the base of the unit.  Rick subsequently determined that it was likely electrically related (electrolytic) corrosion….the green bonding strap attached to the metal tank was carrying voltage and current according to the multimeter, and that’s a problem. Rick pumped remaining hydraulic fluid out of the tank, then spent a few afternoons reviewing manuals (which were mostly useless) and trying to discern how to dismantle and extract the tank, motor, manifold and control box; but without much success.

The Crane's Hydraulic Motor and Tank Reservoir After Removal
From Inside the Base.  It Was Tight Quarters.

We learned from the marina office that Ross at nearby Classic Marine (who had very capably handled our electronic throttle replacement last year) was experienced with hydraulic cranes and davits, so we invited him out to the boat for a look.  He dug right in and had the motor & tank assembly removed and on its way to his shop after about two hours of sweaty persistence.

We’re not exactly sure what the ultimate resolution may be, or when.  For now Ross has agreed to work it in to his busy schedule, but thus far hasn’t had any luck locating compatible replacement parts.  So we’re trying to look at the bright side: at least it didn’t expire while we were trying to launch or retrieve the dinghy.  We still have no idea what we would do about a crane failure with a 450 pound rigid inflatable suspended from it, especially at some remote anchorage.

Project Work

The next “future project” to bubble to the top of the list was to upgrade the boat’s five Racor fuel filter assemblies.  Ghost Rider was originally built at a time that preceded today’s ABYC and US Coast Guard standards for fire protection, which now specify filter housings must either be all metallic, or the clear plastic ones should be protected by metallic heat deflectors. The objective is to make them survivable for a minimum of 2 ½ minutes in the event of an engine room fire, giving the fire suppression system time to do its thing before a breached (melted) filter could dump a full fuel tank into the blaze.  There’s a good explanatory article HERE from Passagemaker.com.

In the Background is the Generator's Racor with
Its Exposed Plastic Bowl & Plastic Drain (Yellow
Arrow).  In the Foreground is the Converted Wing
Engine Racor with Metallic Deflector (Red Arrow)
& UL Listed Brass Draincock (Black Arrow).

Rick’s goal was to retrofit the Racor “MA” series of heat deflectors to our old “FG” series of filters.  On the surface that appeared straightforward and less pricey than buying five new primary fuel filters.  And, as usual, the reality turned out to be a bit different.  Research revealed that the Racor fuel bowl design was changed in the 2002-2003 timeframe (when Ghost Rider was built), and the older model bowls are not compatible with the MA heat deflector kits; there could be differences both in thread sizes as well as the o-ring gland required to properly seal the bowl’s new brass plug.  But the only way to tell was to drain the bowl and remove the old plastic plug.

Rick used one of the smaller 500FG filters (for the wing engine) as an initial test, ordering the heat deflector kit and a new bowl out of an abundance of caution.  As it turned out the new bowl wasn’t needed, but Rick swapped it out anyway.  He also had to remove the fuel lines, move an Algae-X filtering device, and add spacers between the filter housing the engine room bulkhead to create enough room for the deflector shield…so it was a bit more involved than originally anticipated.  Typical boat project.  

Removing & Replacing the Fuel Bowl on These Older
Models is No Fun...the Upper Turbine Assembly Has
to be Disassembled to Get That Done.

Finally, Rick also added a brass on/off fuel valve (draincock), replacing the standard bowl plug, to make future draining both easier and less messy.  To maintain conformance with ABYC fire standards that valve not only had to be metallic, but also could turn no more and no less than 90 degrees, could not rely on any spring tension for leak integrity, and also had to have its own plug as an additional measure against leaks. 

We used the Racor Store (LINK) for the deflector kits and bowl, and McMaster-Carr (LINK) for sourcing the UL Listed fuel valves.  After running the wing engine for a spell and thorough leak-testing over a few days we declared victory for the initial test.  Rick proceeded to convert the bigger 900FG Racor for the fuel transfer (polishing) system as a second test and that, too, ended well.

In our August blog post we’ll report on the efforts to convert the remaining three Racor filters (the two 900’s for the main engine, and the other 500 for the generator.)  And hopefully by then we’ll have a better idea on next steps for the boat crane.

Next Month We'll Get the Conversion Done for the Main Engine's Dual Racors (Far Left) and for the Generator (Far Right).
The Latter Won't be Fun Because of the Algae-X Filter Below & Behind It.

 Afterword:  We can't tell which disease is more dangerous, Covid-19 or Utter Stupidity.  Either way, we have plenty of both down here.  Back in March we accurately predicted the havoc that results from a leadership vacuum, but it seems we underestimated the additive impact of sociopathic idiocy.  Historians won’t be kind, and neither will our future generations.

Hurricane Isaias Stayed Off to Our East.  Only Four More Months Remain in the "Season".

June 2020: Routine Maintenance (Mostly)

Foreword:  We’re still hanging out in Fort Myers and still mostly lying low, trying to avoid the unmasked morons when we do get out.  As social unrest and outrage gets layered on top of a pandemic, the pandemonium amplifies.  And just when we thought federal & state governments couldn’t possibly get any more abject & inept, they managed to prove us wrong.  It’s like someone combined 1918 with 1968 and then put the inmates in charge of the asylum.  But as we predicted back in March, that's what happens in leadership vacuums.

The same caveat that led off last month's blog entry applies this month as well...it's all about upkeep and projects -- of interest only to boat geeks and perhaps some gearheads with time on their hands.  We've had no problem keeping busily occupied.

Regular Maintenance

The Main Engine's ZF Transmission with Dipstick and Fill Plug Removed,
Ready to be Drained.

First up was an oil and filter change for the transmission on the main engine.  The book says that comes due at 1,000 hours of run time or annually, whichever comes first.  We were nowhere close to the run time threshold, but it had been about a year, so it was time.  But thanks to the Reverso electric oil change pump and the way Nordhavn plumbed that, this is a pretty straightforward operation.  You do have to move a two-way valve on the main engine to direct the Reverso plumbing to the tranny (rather than the engine’s oil sump), but after that it only takes a few minutes to pump out the old oil.

While the ops manual for the ZF 280 transmission states oil capacity is 1.3 gallons we actually pumped out 1.5 gallons….that’s because on a continuous-duty diesel engine (in this case our Lugger 6108) there is a transmission oil cooler tucked under the usual heat exchanger and that additional plumbing requires additional oil capacity.  Rick wasn’t sure when the transmission’s filter screen was last removed for cleaning, so to be safe he purchased a new one and installed that before refilling with new oil.  The old one, however, looked almost pristine, so it went into the spare parts bin.

New & Old Tranny Oil Screens on the Left; It
Takes a Big Socket to Remove & Install.

We use straight 40W Shell Rotella T-1 motor oil for the ZF tranny (30W is an option for cooler climates) to stay compliant with manufacturer specifications.  While the Reverso system is capable of adding as well as extracting oil, Rick prefers to add oil manually through the standard oil fill port using a funnel….using the same Reverso hose that drains the unit might reintroduce used oil contaminants, so why chance that?

Verifying that you’ve added enough new oil back into the tranny isn’t exactly intuitive, however – the dipstick markings are calibrated without regard for the additional oil capacity that the oil cooler plumbing requires.  Thus one has to start the engine, pop the throttle handle briefly into forward and reverse to circulate the oil, shut down, and then within 60 seconds or less return to the engine room to check the oil level on the dipstick – before the oil cooler lines can drain back into the tranny, and that level should be at the normal “full” mark.  When checking the transmission oil level on a cold engine that’s been sitting it should actually be above that full mark, and it’s wise to note that level on the dipstick.

The Transmission Oil Cooler (Yellow Arrow) and the Two Oil
Cooler Hoses (Red Arrows).

Shortly after the tranny oil change trigger fired in our Wheelhouse software, so did the one for the wing engine – same deal, an annual reminder.  Any oil, regardless of quality or composition, has a finite shelf life….inside an engine (or an open container for that matter) the oil begins to lose its key lubricating and protection properties at about the one year mark, regardless of engine runtime hours.  Theoretically, at least, one could take an oil sample and have it lab tested for efficacy, and extend that interval given positive test results.  (And actually that’s a good idea at certain intervals anyway, since such a lab test can detect chemicals and elements that may portend internal wear issues.)  The problem, however, is you really don’t know for how much longer that oil with retain its protective properties…unless you keep testing it.  In the end, an oil and filter change is cheaper, easier and more reliable.  Why risk equipment that (depending on which engine) costs between $25,000 and $40,000 for the nominal costs of some oil and a filter?

Oil Change on the L984 Wing Engine; the
Yellow Arrow Points to the Oil Filter.

Once again the Reverso oil change pump made this a fairly simple task….flip a couple of switches, pump the old oil into a couple of empty containers, drop the old oil filter into a baggie, grab a new filter and spin it on, then add 9.5 quarts of Delo 10W-40 into the Lugger 984.  Done….all of that takes only 15 minutes.  Then there’s another 15 minutes for cleanup and disposal.

Project Work

Next up was a small project that had been on the “eventually” list for quite some time: to replace Ghost Rider’s anchor light with an LED bulb.  The reason is simple – in more normal times Nordhavns tend to spend a lot of time at anchor running on battery power only, and from sunset to sunrise the anchor light must be illuminated.  The LED bulb should last longer, draw a lot less battery juice and theoretically also be brighter than the standard incandescent bulb.  Unfortunately this project requires climbing on top of the radar arch and balancing there with one hand while using the other for disassembling the housing and swapping bulbs.  The trick is to buy a quality LED (we chose the “Dr. LED” brand on Defender), then pick a calm day, bring a ladder to minimize pulled muscles, and then proceed slowly and deliberately. Rick managed to pull it off without getting dizzy or falling.

The anchor light on Ghost Rider (red circle) is approximately 22 feet above the waterline.  Standing atop the radar

 arch is not something we want to attempt in a rolly anchorage.

Another project on the “eventually” list was getting to the less-optional stage, and that was to replace two duckbill valves in a very tight space located behind the clothes dryer.  These two duckbills are at the top of the anti-siphon loops for the black water pump-out and guest toilet thru-hull discharges, and these two were way overdue for servicing; a failure of an anti-siphon valve could result in an influx of seawater, perhaps even a backflow of effluent – either would be bad news.  While we regularly serviced the five other and easily accessible duckbill valves on the boat (master head, wing engine, generator, etc.) these two required some creativity to access them.

Access Panel Removed...Revealing the Back Half of the Clothes Dryer
that Prevents Any Kind of Access to the Well Hidden Anti-Siphon Valves.

First, an access panel in the guest stateroom had to be opened up, followed by removing nine anchoring screws for the dryer (front & back sides), and then pulling the dryer out about 12 inches into the stairway space that connects the pilot house to the stateroom level.  That gave Rick enough room to angle his shoulders through the small access panel and squeeze into the cramped space behind the dryer; removing the old intake caps and duckbills and replacing with new ones was the easy part.  Reassembly was mercifully undemanding.  Generally speaking the architects at Nordhavn are good at designing sturdy boats with thoughtful maintenance access to most serviceable components….but not in this case.

Unfastening & Pulling Out the Dryer into the Companionway.

With The Dryer Pulled Out We Now Had Access to the Two
Anti-Siphon Duckbill Valves (Yellow Arrows).

Yet another project (actually decision) coming due was what to do about an expiring EPIRB battery at the end of June.  The “Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon” is an indispensable piece of safety equipment, particularly when out of VHF radio range.  Capable of beaming SAR GPS distress signals via satellite (along with a Guard channel homing beacon) for 48 hours of continuous signaling, no blue water boater departs the dock without one.  The thing works anywhere on the planet.  Unfortunately the older EPIRB models utilize batteries that expire after five years, at which time they require servicing by an authorized dealer – the batts are technically not user replaceable.

Our Wet Locker is Pretty Packed with Safety
Gear.  Yellow Arrow Points to the New EPIRB,
the Green Arrow to the Old One in the Ditch Bag.

Given that the cost of that service is about half what a new EPIRB costs, and that the latest models have ten year batts which are user-replaceable, we opted to just purchase a new one, an ACR 2831 GlobalFix V4 model.  We mounted this one in the pilot house wet locker, where most of our safety equipment resides – life raft, ditch bag, signaling devices, first aid kit, life vests, throw bag, etc. – and still kept the old one in the ditch bag’s side pocket.  Both are registered with NOAA as Ghost Rider-specific SARSAT devices.  (LINK.)

Periodically we also have to pay attention to the ship’s navigation computer.  From a hardware perspective that’s a reliable device (a Silverstone 12 volt small form factor computer), but unfortunately its operating system is Windows 10 Pro – the TZ Pro navigation software won’t run on anything else.  And that is decidedly not a good OS for what is essentially a 24-by-7 mission critical system.  The Win10 OS likes to “phone home” rather frequently for all sorts of software updates, and we’ve mastered rather surreptitious techniques for bypassing that disruptive behavior while underway; but occasionally when time allows – as when we are stuck in port – it’s a good idea to backup that PC and then let it go through its update procedures…and then test the hell out of it to be sure it didn’t break anything important.

The Ship's 12V Navigation PC is Tucked Under the
Pilot House Console...Which is Fine Until You Need to
Take it Apart to Swap Out Memory (RAM) DIMMs.

So we allowed the OS upgrade itself to the latest release (dated April 2020), which took a couple of hours across several reboots, then regression tested, and thankfully most things looked good afterwards.  It did completely break the non-essential “Stereo Mix” feature that we like to use for our MP3 music library when at anchor or the dock (allows for concurrent use of hardwired and wireless Bluetooth speakers); and it disabled the Open Shell software (we use it to configure Win10 to look more like Win7); but at least all the important navigation features and interfaces remained ops normal.  Rick eventually dug up an older Realtek audio driver that restored Stereo Mix functionality, and then reinstalled the latest version of Open Shell to regain our preferred look & feel of the start menu and desktop.  Rick also took the down-time opportunity to tear into the computer’s innards and upgrade its random access memory from 8GB to 16GB, which should improve overall response time of the ship’s PC going forward.

The Windows 10 System Info Reflects the Upgraded RAM and the New Version of the OS.

Break/Fix Opportunities

Of course no month of boat ownership would be complete without some break/fix activity to drain the wallet and shame the budget.  We found two of those this month.

The first was yet another air conditioning system fault – rather suddenly we had no less than three air handler units intermittently tossing “HI PS” (high pressure) errors, which typically means low flow of raw water cooling to the compressors.  The pathetic dribbles emitting from the thru-hull seawater discharges confirmed that issue, but the question was why – or more precisely, where in the plumbing was the blockage?  Given the suddenness of the problem, and that we had acid washed the A/C plumbing just four months ago, plus the fact that the A/C strainer basket was clear of any obstruction, we were pretty sure the clog was in or near the thru-hull inlet….under the hull.

The A/C Thru-Hull...After Closing the Valve (Red Arrow), Removing the Hose
(Green Arrow), and Unscrewing the Elbow (Yellow Arrow), Rick then
Reopened the Valve.  Should Have Been a Geyser -- and Was Not.

Rick closed that valve, removed the hose and its 90 degree elbow, then slowly re-opened the thru-hull – what should have been a three foot geyser of seawater into the lazarette was barely the equivalent of a water bubbler.  Something was blocking flow on the bottom of the hull, and no amount of auguring with a screwdriver was making any difference.  Nuts.

We placed a call to our diver service (LINK) and requested an off-schedule visit, and a day later one of their divers arrived, dove under the boat and dug out a handful of detritus from the protective grate on the thru-hull intake: a few tiny fish, a small seaweed salad, some cellophane, and a plastic bag.  And that’s what restored normal flow and A/C operations.  

Lastly, we developed a surprise problem with the boat’s crane….and a nasty one at that.  On one of our periodic walk-around inspections of the boat we discovered a stream of hydraulic fluid leaking from the base of the crane, making quite a mess on the boat deck.  After removing the inspection panels on the base the culprit was immediately obvious: the hydraulic reservoir tank had rusted through in a fairly large area. 

The Polished Stainless Crane/Davit Looks Good on the Outside....

For now that leaves us with no mechanism for launching or retrieving the dinghy.  Rick has manually pumped out the remaining hydraulic oil (about two gallons) to prevent more deck messes, and is researching equipment manuals and potential service centers for help in figuring out next steps.  The solution is not likely to be straightforward or inexpensive.  But that’s a topic for a future post.

....But Inside the Base its Hydraulic Reservoir Tank Has Rusted Through.

But Ghost Rider Still Looks Good After a Thorough Shampoo and Rinse to Close Out June.