Blogs have been written and published from all sorts of weird and wonderful locations but has anyone done it from the top of a mast before?!
Well, yesterday I thought I might do just that, but as it turned out I wasn't stuck up there for as long as I thought I would be.
I'd gone up to install yet another AIS antenna but quickly realised it was not suitable. So I asked Mick to nip up to the local Chandler's to buy another. However, he was back in 5 minutes - they didn't have any. So down I came before I could finish this post!
I was back up there in the evening when Mick returned from a trip into town with a new antenna. Up the mast I went again (I must have been up and down a dozen times in the last couple of weeks) and installed it. Back down in the cabin the inbuilt test meter in the AIS unit continued to display poor readings and indeed 'announced' once again that the device was not transmitting! Whilst a disappointment this was not a surprise because it was precisely the same result given by the original antenna which I'd removed assuming it was faulty; and by the replacement one which I'd returned because 'it was faulty' and by the replacement for the replacement. So now, the replacement's replacement, replacement, confirmed it, all those trips up and down the mast were a complete waste of time and effort!
Of course, there's still the mystery of what on earth is going on? We have by the way used brand new cable to an alterntive fitting on the stern of the boat which when used with the different antennas produces the same results. Of course we now suspect the validity of the results displayed by the AIS unit's inbuilt test meter. Except that when we try the boat's standard VHF antenna - also on top of the mast - we get improved test results!!!
We do know that the unit, despite the non-transmission warning displayed, is transmitting something because the Marine Traffic website displays our position! What we can't tell, is the strength of that signal. The only thing left to do is some real world testing by asking other vessels and/or the coastguard whether they are receiving our transmissions!
By now you will have worked out that we have yet to commence our planned passage to Madeira and instead are still firmly tied up in Mayflower Marina Plymouth. The AIS debacle is not the only reason....
Two nights ago we decided to test out our satalite weather system curtesy of an old gifted sat phone and a newly purchased box of computing electronics - a Redport. This Redport gizmo should allow us to connect to specialist data compression servers through which we should be able to download graphical weather info when out of range of normal internet connections. The two "shoulds" above underline the need to test the service before relying on it. Of course, satalite airtime/data is hideously expensive and so we need to keep its use to a minimum.
Anyway, we fell before the first hurdle. I'd charged the satphone battery a few months ago and whilst it was reluctant to take a charge to begin with, it did eventually. I checked it a few weeks ago and it still showed a full charge. However, this time the wretched thing refused to power up but as far as we could tell from the onscreen icon, the battery was OK!
This was more than frustrating. Mick had bought £200 of airtime and I had recently bought the Redport gizmo for about the same amount! Fortunately the on-site Chandler included a Satphone repair service. They looked at the phone and diagnosed a knackered batttery as the cause of the problem. At the time of writing we are awaiting delivery of a new battery to Mayflower Marina. Only once received, will we know for sure whether that was the problem.
Hot on the heals of discovering the faulty satphone, I also established that in order to continue to use the messaging functionality of the YB tracker, it would need an upgrade to enable it to talk to the new Android messaging App - the old one having been discontinued. Our intention being to use YB messaging as a means of receiving summary weather info in the event of losing Satphone connectivity!
After contacting YB Tracking, they offered a 50% discount on their upgrade service and so I posted the tracker off to them yesterday. Hopefully we'll have it back tomorrow when we hope to be in Falmouth.
So, there will be a break in our tracking transmissions over the next couple of days. Providing our AIS does transmit, you'll be able to track us via Marine Traffic ... https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5934721/mmsi:235104569/imo:0/vessel:BONNY
This is the most important job we needed doing in Plymouth. That's part of the Hydrovane rudder assembly which my good pal Bernie had repaired for me back in February. He welded the the steel bar on to the hinge but we both thought it would be a good idea to get it checked by a professional before relying on it during an ocean crossing. By the way, the other end of the steel bar fits into the rudder and the hinge attaches to its partner on the end of another steel bar attached to the stern on the boat.
The pictures above shows the assembly after inspection and reinforcement and tidying up by a very helpful local welder whom I highly recommend...
Our first port of call to Pheonix 316 produced the all too typical - 'I'm not interested in little jobs' response. He pulled a face and said in very dismissive tones, "oh that's stick welding may be alright but might not". We do "TIG" welding - much neater and smaller. So much for a professional opinion I thought. I'd already concluded the same which is why I was there! Untederred I pressed on "so could you improve it?" I asked. "Well, I can't do anything with that, I'd have to make a complete new unit." "How much would that cost and how long would it take?" I asked. "About £250 and two weeks" he replied. "Thanks" I said, "I'll think it over".
Mick suggested we tried another welding shop we'd just passed - with much more down to earth premises.
In we went to be greeted by a very cheery proprieter. I explained our need. "Lets have a look. No problem I can strengthen that and tidy it up with a bit of TIG welding". "Great, how much, how long will it take?" "Oh, £30 will cover it, you can collect it i the morning"
Now that's customer service. I was so pleased with the results when I collected the next day that I gave him £40!
That's the upgraded fitting back in the rudder and the rudder installed...
I've also started fitting the additional Jack lines (safety lines for clipping onto).
The white webbing above is the new port hand one. I've fitted these because the existing ones on the side decks - you can just make out the blue port side one in the photo above - are so near the side of the boat that if one did end up dangling on the end of a lifeline clipped on to the jackstay, one would be in the water with little chance of getting back on board.
Mick has continued with his rationalisation campaign and has jettisoned loads of 'junk'. Mind you he has also bought loads of stuff as well 🤣. He has also continued with a variety of electrical jobs.
Oh, and I did also enjoy a very pleasant social meet-up. It turns out that my old pal Steve's youngest sister Natasha, whom I think I last met when she was 9 at Steve's wedding a long time ago, has got into sailing with her partner. They bought a boat in the spring and are frantically preparing it to undertake the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers departing Gran Canaria in November and will therefore be undertaking a very similar cruise to us. So on Monday I went over to meet them in Plymouth Yachthaven and spent a very pleasant couple of hours. We may well meet them again in Falmouth over the next few days.
Well that's just about it for now. Mick's just filled up with water and once the satphone battery arrived we will head out to refuel and then on to anchor in Cawsand Bay. Tomorrow we go to Falmouth.
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