Martin,
Thanks for the auto pilot tiller arm insight. ("; Calypso’s rudder shaft
had a long enough key way that the autopilot tiller arm can share with the
quadrant. I also bolted the two together for mutual support should one
loosen up at an awkward time." I will do something similar this winter
but the woodruff slot doesn't extend far enough past the quadrant to be
useful.
On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 5:00 PM, Martin DeYoung via CnC-List <
cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote:
> Dave,
>
>
>
> Thank you for the great report and congrats on your successful crossings.
> Also congrats on not having to highlight un-plugging the head in high seas,
> at night, after cooking liver and onions.
>
>
>
> For the fuel tank vent issues, Racor or a similar company sells a device
> that installs in-line with the vent that prevents fuel from getting out the
> vent. I will check the one I installed on Calypso to see if it also
> prevents sea water from entering from above. I have seen similar vent
> issues with the potable water tank vents on older C&Cs. The 1974 C&C 39 I
> sailed to Hawaii in 77 & 79 had the port water tank vents located at the
> shear and under water when sailing heeled over. We were using that tank to
> reduce weight to leeward. Sea water got sucked into the tank cutting our
> water supply in half. We used the brackish water for cooking and cleaning.
>
>
>
> One of Calypso’s prior owners or the factory added an exhaust shut off
> gate valve. It is one of the few fittings we have not replaced or upgraded
> in the last 16 years. It is frozen open but I have a slight concern the
> gate will drop and unexpectedly close off the exhaust. Are ball valves
> currently considered the “best practice” for this use?
>
>
>
> For the auto pilot tiller arm; Calypso’s rudder shaft had a long enough
> key way that the autopilot tiller arm can share with the quadrant. I also
> bolted the two together for mutual support should one loosen up at an
> awkward time.
>
>
>
> Calypso’s radar reflector is assembled around the back stay with small
> lines top and bottom to stabilize. I was able to meet the height above the
> deck (and above the radar antenna) requirement by using a ladder to install.
>
>
>
> Martin DeYoung
>
> Calypso
>
> 1971 C&C 43
>
> Seattle
>
>
> [image: Description: Description: cid:D1BF9853-22F7-47FB-86F2-4115CE0BAF2F]
>
>
>
> *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of *David
> Paine via CnC-List
> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 27, 2015 11:51 AM
> *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com
> *Cc:* David Paine
> *Subject:* Stus-List Bermuda1-2 lessons learned
>
>
>
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> As I mentioned last spring as part of a question about life rafts, I had
> planned to sail my C&C33-1 solo to Bermuda and back (double handed) in
> the Bermuda1-2 race. I did, It was fun, it was terrifying, it was
> expensive to prepare for, and it was frustrating as I did not do well (dfl)
> in my class in part because of the high winds and seas near the gulf stream
> probably favored the HR49 and other heavyweights in my class but mostly
> because I was climbing a steep learning curve. Of course, a C&C35-1 won
> the return and did well on the way there so (in my case) it's the sailor
> not the boat. In preparation for the next one, I need to resolve a few
> issues with the boat and a lot with the skipper. I was putting together a
> list that I thought I would share.
>
>
>
> (1) The autopilot has to be more than bullet proof. I thought my below
> deck pilot was, but I was wrong, and as a result I found myself upside down
> in the cockpit locker and crawling deep underneath the cockpit floor in
> horrible conditions to tighten bolts that allowed the tiller arm to slip
> (no woodruff key or slot to put it in). I lost a lot of time bobbing
> around with the sails down repairing the autopilot or sleeping. The fix
> for this one is obvious but will require dismantling the quadrant and
> figuring out how to bolt the tiller arm to it. Other issues with the
> autopilot were completely my own fault as I made changes to the electronics
> but did not have time to proof test the changes.
>
>
>
> (2) When a wave fills the cockpit and it gets flooded (and it did
> repeatedly) the engine instruments are going to get wet. This is not good
> as the switches will (and did) fail, I am considering relocation or
> creating a waterproof cover.
>
>
>
> (3) Following seas WILL drive water up the tailpipe and into the engine.
> As a result, I sailed into St Georges harbor and up to the customs dock
> then I spent a day in Bermuda sucking water out of the engine and drying it
> out enough to get it started. For the return trip, I put a plug in the
> exhaust pipe but the plug was washed out in the "washing machine like
> conditions" and ... we got to sail the boat into the Newport Yacht Club
> dock at 3:00 am on no sleep. Then spend another day pumping oily water out
> of the engine. Yeah, slow learner.
>
>
>
> (4) The fuel tank vent on my boat is high up on the starboard side but by
> the time I got to Bermuda, the tank had a quart of water in it (which I
> siphoned out). Good filters (a racor) helped but I need to relocate the
> vent -- the question is where? It may not be wise but on the return trip I
> wrapped the vent with tape (which, if I had run the engine I would have
> removed) A better solution is needed.
>
>
>
> (5) Reefing has to be quick and easy -- I spent far too much time
> screwing up enough courage to go to the mast to reef and shake-out. My
> current reefing system (probably original to the boat) has a winch on the
> boom which makes the first reef fine but I used all three reef points and
> releasing the last reef before pulling in the next in 35-40 kn of breeze is
> a nightmare. I need to work on leading the lines to the cockpit.
>
>
>
> (6) A removable inner forestay and a blade foresail might be nice. My new
> furling 130 spent a lot of time furled 50% and that really has screwed up
> the shape of my formerly new and now blown out 130.
>
>
>
> (7) The boat was reasonably dry inside (a result of hours of rebedding
> hardware) but somehow the mast collar leaked like a sieve. The boot looks
> perfect so it has to be the where the Al collar (mast partners) meets the
> deck -- who would have thought that the one place I didn't rebed would be a
> problem!
>
>
>
> (8) Hoisting a radar reflect on a flag halyard to the spreaders seems like
> a good idea until the line breaks and you lose both.
>
>
>
> (9) The one turnbuckle that I did not wire was the port diamond stay.
> Turns out the mast will stay up without this - whew! It is extremely
> unnerving to see a piece of wire swinging around at night in a blow. Wire
> everything. And use lock tight on critical bolts -- my solar panel broke
> loose as a result of a bolt getting unscrewed.
>
>
>
> (10) Fighting with a 10 foot long spinnaker pole to fly the spin gets
> really old. Luckily the wind only died down enough to fly the spinnaker at
> the end of the race but if the conditions had been more benign, I would
> have had to fly the spinnaker much more. An assymetrical with a short
> prod would be nice (but probably outside my ability to rationalize the
> spending).
>
>
>
> (11) Getting a decent weather (GRIB) file occasionally would have been
> really helpful. I suppose I need to figure out how to do a SSB or Sat
> phone modem.
>
>
>
> Tons more lessons learned but that's enough for now.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> David
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
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