22nd October 2012 - Engine Failure & Seagull Attack!

Jeff's blog of his life living aboard a yacht, at anchor, in the UK, with his wife, a dog and a baby.

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22nd October 2012 - Engine Failure & Seagull Attack!

Post by Jeff »

I'm still unsure if our oil level is actually rising or not, but we definitely still have a problem with the fuel in our tanks because the engine failed on us again last week, just as we were about to cast off and head back up river to White Rock for a weekend at anchor.

We'd been out to sea briefly a few days before, and it was unexpectedly very bouncy - I think we dislodged some muck off the tank walls/bottom.

We'd spent the previous night sleeplessly anchored at The Anchorstone, downwriver from Dittisham, in winds gusting up to 30 knots from the South. There wasn't much tide so the boat tended to be pushed over to shallow water while the tide was falling. We were close to touching the bottom and a slight drag of the anchor would have definitely put us on the rocks, so I was having a little trouble relaxing. In reality it would have not been life threatening or anything just "paint threatening" and uncomfortable while we would inevitably have heeled over a touch before the tide came back.

But I motored us 50 metres back into the current, deployed a couple of buckets off the stern, and put the wheel over to starboard, and it held us out in the tide more effectively, and we were fine.

Next morning we motored a few hundred yards to a buoy off Dittisham and went to the shop for supplies.

Then we started the engine again for the planned trip up river - and it died with a minute. Had it died when I needed it to get us out of the sticky situation the night before I'd have had a proper serious look on!

But this is not good. Sometimes, as last night proved, it's very important to have a working engine.

We cancelled our plans and I changed the fuel filter and bled the fuel lines and the engine worked fine again, but we had no spare filter aboard now so we took the steamtrain back down into Kingswear, bought a filter, and walked back to Dissisham. A very pleasant day out with me feeling very proud of myself for successfully fixing the engine, changing a fuel filter and bleeding the fuel lines - not something I had much confidence in my ability to do - but I am much more confident now, and next time I won't make the mistake of dropping a bleed screw under the engine!

I've booked in Stephenson Marine to come and talk to me about the whole thing. There's a load of possible things we can do next to nip this in the bud, but whatever else we do I'm definitely going to get set up with parallel fuel filters and a suction gauge so if one ever does block on us again we can predict it before it does (using the suction gauge) and turn a couple of taps to start using the other one, then change out the blocked one - all potentially without even stopping the engine. May also have some tank drains installed in the tanks - possibly also an inspection hatch - and/or possibly also install and start using a "day tank". Watch this space.

We limped back to Dartmouth and spent a few days riding out more high winds on the pontoon before returning to the anchorage where we are at the moment.

This brings me to the seagull attack.

We went ashore yesterday for a "w a l k" with the small white one and she caught a seagull as it tried to take off - got it by the neck and started playing with it - in front of children and frowning parents. So embarrassing. But in fact after it got away (it flew off looking ruffled - surviving for another day unlike the last time this happened) - Lunar must have just been gently chewing on it - and the gathering crowd all expressed their approval of her actions - apart from not killing it - so it ended well really.

Except that Lunar is now fixated on seagulls. She is such a handful :roll:

Additional:

We have a date booked for being lifted out for the winter. We have mixed feelings about it. We're loving being down here and life aboard with Nina is great. It's nice and quiet and more relaxed here also now there's much fewer boats about and tourists. I liked the maelstrom of activity in the summer, and this is a lovely contrast. I'd like to watch the weather get colder and the winter set in, afloat. But I'm also looking forward to Christmas with family, based in a caravan on the North Yorkshire moors, which is what we're going up to.

I'll be commuting down to continue the endless task list on Towser, and hopefully we'll be all set to launch, with sails this time, next spring - and we can then really start to go places. Salcombe and back first I think. Definitely Plymouth for the firework competition. Perhaps the Scillies for the first time. Exciting!
Last edited by Jeff on Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:22 am, edited 2 times in total.
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evenkeel
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Post by evenkeel »

Hi Jeff
Dont know if i can offer any help to your fuel problem but it does sound very similar to a problem i had a few years ago. I have a centaur with a "rotting from the inside out" fuel tank, which produces a fair mount of loose debris, blocking fuel filters on a regular basis, i put another fuel filter in the system which i could at a turn of 2 taps bypass one, to clean the other, cost me a fortune in filters until a mate of mine gave me a fuel trap bowl thingy off of a mini digger, it basicaly had a very coarse teastrainer type of gauze lengthways in the bowl which would collect big debris causing them to sink to the bottom of the bowl but still allowing fuel to carry on through the fuel line into the main filters. worked a charm, just need to unscrew the bowl chuck out the rubbish and screw back on, only change fuel filters at end of season now.
Sorry if this a bit longwinded
Discus
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Post by Discus »

You need a separ duplex fuel filtration system strapped onto your fuel lines. Google separ UK and you can see one in action. This is the rolls Royce of fuel filtration and will return a happy smile to your somewhat worried face. For total peace of mind, I would have the tanks cleaned too (professionally). You may have to ask Santa to help out with the costs but it will give you total peace of mind. At least your engine is a good 'un - hundreds of thousands of trucks can't be wrong after all. Seagull problem sounds a bundle of fun.........good luck with that! :lol:
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Post by Jeff »

Thanks for the replies! Some good ideas and food for thought.

That Separ Duplex looks fantastic - made me wince when I found the price on Keypart though! And it doesn't have a suction gauge built in, which I'd really like.

Got the engineers here (Stephenson Marine) shortly...
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Post by Terry T »

Hope to go to the Plymouth firework display ?? check out the Herald website . Because the resteraunt at the end of the pier has been given planning permission to be rebuilt as flats the fireworks may be cancelled :( :( :o health and safety etc There is uproar about it.
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Post by Jeff »

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Post by Terry T »

Apparently a firework display is not a reason for refusing planning permission. Stinks of someone getting a backhander or summin :evil:
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Post by Discus »

Wasn't this years firework championship a bit of a disaster? Weather was blowing and some of the fireworks ended up in QAB? :o
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Post by Jeff »

It's such a big deal for Plymouth, it would be a disaster to lose it.

We missed this years Rob, so I don't know, but that sounds like something I'd like to have seen! It probably adds fuel to the argument for those wanting to have it stopped though :(
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Post by Discus »

Don't worry, we missed it too as it was blowing too hard to warrant driving 3 hours down to the boat, but some friends reported back on the errant missiles! Hope you have resolved your fuel filtering conundrum and Dartmouth remains free from seagull carcasses. Sadly, our season is over as the boat is coming out on Friday afternoon in Plymouth. A bit frustrating as the weather has really limited the amount of sailing we have been able to do this season. When you chuck in a bit of uncertainty about keeping the boat longer term (considering upgrade, but not sure), its all been a bit crap really. Roll on next season, or even better 2014 as we are off for a 3 year sabbatical in the boat - just seems a long way off! :roll:
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Post by Jeff »

Three year sabatical! Awesome!

Got to say that life aboard permanently in Towser is such a different experience to what it was in Isabella. We've got SO much more room and it's making a massive difference to our quality of life. And if you don't have an expensive permanent berth, barring some major boat issue, it doesn't cost much more than living on a smaller boat. I think we should have bought one of those defunkt ships that come up on Ebay for next to nothing! :D
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!

Post by Terry T »

Towser is a ship :lol:
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Post by Terry T »

Discus wrote:Don't worry, we missed it too as it was blowing too hard to warrant driving 3 hours down to the boat, but some friends reported back on the errant missiles! Hope you have resolved your fuel filtering conundrum and Dartmouth remains free from seagull carcasses. Sadly, our season is over as the boat is coming out on Friday afternoon in Plymouth. A bit frustrating as the weather has really limited the amount of sailing we have been able to do this season. When you chuck in a bit of uncertainty about keeping the boat longer term (considering upgrade, but not sure), its all been a bit crap really. Roll on next season, or even better 2014 as we are off for a 3 year sabbatical in the boat - just seems a long way off! :roll:
Hi Discus where are you coming out in Plymouth ?
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Re: !

Post by admin »

Terry T wrote:Towser is a ship :lol:
8)
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Post by Discus »

Hi Terry

Boat is being lifted at Southdown marina on the Tamar. Have over wintered the boat there for the last 3 years and have really enjoyed the atmosphere there. We have made quite a few friends there too. Always a bit depressing being lifted out and taking the sails off - but then there's always next year!!!!! Bigger plans for next year that may include sailing the boat to Ireland and on up to Scotland, again all weather/work/time/life dependant. That's the bit I envy about the Towser crew - more possibilities to take advantage of the weather/tides/time/seagulls etc. are you in Plymouth too?

Rob
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