Saturday 26th August 2017 - A good day's work on yet another beautiful summer's day!
I've made excellent use of the Victoria bus system over last week. Using Google maps and a wifi Internet system on my phone, I'm able to find my way around town efficiently for shopping - so easy! No longer any need to ask the driver to warn me on approaching my stop - although most are very helpful.
It was great to see Robert and Rose (Tillicum) again today and Robert finally sorted out my autopilot problem which turned out to be caused by a stuck solenoid valve on the ram (drive unit). The advice was to use both drives in turn, rather than using one a lot, leaving the other idle most of the time.
We next turned to the radio and spliced lengths from two cables so as to give a good length with the correct (Molex) connectors at both ends. Testing with the cable connecting the tuner to the radio was a little inconclusive. It mainly seemed fine but I need to test it further by transmitting on different frequencies to live people, rather than just talking to myself!
Looking at the fuel transfer line to the cabin heater fuel tank got interesting! Robert discovered a small dirty filter tucked away out of sight which I was totally unaware of (and which had been installed the wrong way around). There was also another filter which also badly needed cleaning - and a flow valve handle which was in the 'off' position - no wonder no fuel was able to pass by!! The arrangement is not satisfactory and needs improving to make both the 'on/off' valve and a better, bigger filter more visible and accessible. Knowing the pump was fine saved a lot of money which I was all set to spend on a replacement.
Finally, a broken switch on the generator and the manual seawater pump at the galley were both replaced - fairly quick and simple jobs at the end of a long, productive day. I'll clean the old pump and change the vital parts using a spares kit so I have a working spare.
First thing tomorrow, after coffee with friends Tony and Coryn who live nearby, I'll fix the new start motor battery switch in place - and then clear and tidy the boat before looking at other jobs on my list - the entire boat is now in chaos!
Hopefully, I'll find time for a walk - this great sunny weather is forecast to continue...
I hope my UK friends are enjoying a good Bank Holiday weekend.
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"Nereida"
www.svnereida.com
"Life is precious - make the most of it!"