Rebuilding the Windlass

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Our windlass is a vital part of our boat as it controls our anchor and anchor chain.  It allows us to use the motor to raise and lower our 100 meters of 10mm stainless chain and 33 kilo spade anchor.  We replaced the motor, gaskets and a few other small pieces in Costa Rica 2019, but we have not taken the top portion of the windlass apart for some time.

We were having issues with the windlass as it was drawing too much power to operate.  Something was causing friction or issues making the motor work too hard which then overloaded the batteries.  Never a good thing to have the boat shut down as you are trying to bring up the anchor.

Getting Started

In order to work on the windlass we have to disengage the anchor chain.  However, we did not want it to drop into the marina water so we ended up securing the anchor and chain to the bow roller.

We ordered new gaskets, o-rings, a sure clip, and a bearing from Lewmar (which took forever to arrive).  As Matt was taking everything apart he realized that the spacer had rotted.  Well shoot!  For some reason, Lewmar has stainless and aluminum pieces put together which is odd as these two materials don’t like each other.  

End of Year Delay

New problem. This spacer was not available anywhere in NZ, USA, or Europe!  Evidently Lewmar would not be manufacturing more of these pieces until end February (it was December when we discovered the problem).  If we were to wait, the part would not get to us until April or May. That would mean that we could not leave the marina as we would have no means to anchor which was simply unacceptable.  So, we decided to take it to RH Precision Engineering to have a new one fabricated.

Rob at RH Precision was wonderful!  We dropped the sad little spacer off on Friday before Christmas and he called us on Wednesday 28 Dec to tell us it was ready!  And on top of that he only charged us $100NZD and 2 beers!  We would have spent hundreds of dollars more had we ordered it from Lewmar.  And it is beautiful and works perfectly!

We discovered the culprit was a rotted cord deck which held the spacer.  Sea water had seeped into the wood, rotted it out and kept the spacer wet.  So, Matt had to dig out all of the rotted wood, let it dry out, then filled it with epoxy.

We were finally able to complete the windlass project after 3 weeks, mostly waiting on parts.  Now, we should be able to anchor without putting too much stress on our batteries.

Events from this blog occurred in late December and early January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events. We upgrade Sugar Shack with lithium batteries and Starlink in our last blog.

A New Ticker: Lithium Batteries

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House batteries are the heart of our boat that keep everything running.  Our AGM gel batteries are only 4 years young and probably have another 3-4 more years of life left.  However, we are in NZ and we finally have access to lithium batteries, expertise to install and knowledge of how to re-program C-Zone for the new lithium batteries.

Matt has always known we would switch to lithium batteries; we were just waiting for the right place to purchase them.  I think he started talking about switching to lithium back in 2016, then again considered switching when we replaced all the electronics in Costa Rica after the lightening strike.  But in the end we waited…until now.

We contacted several dealers and settled on Cleagh Limited because Matthew Duckett has a significant amount of experience and expertise with C-Zone and Mastervolt.  We are a Mastervolt boat so for the most part it “should” be a plug and play with the batteries.  However, we have to update C-Zone and all of our electronics which will take a day or two.

Also, the Mastervolt warranty and our insurance both require a licensed electrician to do the install which is where Matthew Duckett comes in.

As a dealer, he was able to secure our Mastervolt MLI 12/6000 at a very reduced price.  We saved hundreds of dollars!!!  So, far loving this guy!

Removal of the AGM Dry Fit Batteries

We currently have (8) Sonnenschein Batteries A512 12V 115A Dryfit 500. They are long-life batteries that are similar to AGM but much better.  They each weigh in at about 42kilos / 93lbs.  Hope to sell these guys to recoup some of our money.

Installing the new Mastervolt 12/6000

The new batteries look like beasts when they arrive, but in actuality they will take up a lot less space and weigh much less than our original batteries.

We are replacing 8 Sonnenschein batteries with 2 Mastervolt lithium batteries.  These are slightly bigger but they weigh considerably less at 49 kilos / 108lbs.  So we are removing 336kilos / 744lbs and adding  98kilos / 216lbs.  This is a weight savings of 238kilos / 524lbs!  That is significant on a boat!  yeah us.

It is an awkward space to be in as you have to work around the “seat holes” upside down.  Both Matt and Matthew were in the hole for the better part of two days.  Matt Mitchell is in red shirt (middle photo) and Matthew is bottom photo.

Testing

 Matthew connects up with Tim who works at Mastervolt and has to review and certify our system.  It took a few tweaks, but after a few hours we were totally configured and up and running.  This is a screen shot of Matthew’s computer as Tim was diagnosing and reviewing our systems.

Completion

Originally Matthew thought it would take 2 weeks to complete the entire job, but then he amended it to 1 week.  As it turned out, it only took 2.5 days because Matt did a lot of prep work in removing the old batteries, reconfiguring the wood slats that hold the new batteries in place and built the strap system that secures the to the floor.

Feeling super excited to see how our power consumption, usage, and recharging improves with these beautiful Mastervolt batteries!

And look how much room we have for storage!

Time to Stay Connected: Starlink

As most of you know, we struggle with internet connectivity especially in the remote places of Fiji and French Polynesia.  Here in New Zealand we have had great access, but we won’t always be in the land of plenty.

Starlink was running a discounted special here in NZ at the end of 2022.  We couldn’t resist since it was almost half the price of what the units were selling for in the U.S.  Matt was like a kid in the candy store when the big gray box arrived.

He ordered the residential unit and will add portability when we leave NZ.  He also ordered the ethernet box which he plans to butcher to make work on 12volt.  

The unit does not draw a huge amount of power, but it is more than we expected.  Luckily our new batteries can handle it!

In an effort to save some money, we downgraded our Iridium Unlimited plan for the next 4 months.  We will most likely reinstate it when we move to Tonga in May just as a back up in case Starlink does not connect while underway.

We have seen really great speeds.  In the first image you can clearly see where we started using Starlink vs the local marina wifi and our Vodafone connection.

Not the prettiest solution for our dish, but it works while we are on the dock.  It has to be free and clear of obstructions and away from our solar panels and radar.  So, for now, here she is.

This could be a game changer for us!  Stay tuned.

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We enjoyed the Highland Games in our last blog, did you read about it?

The Highland Games

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A blessing and a curse.  New Zealand shuts down for the holidays.  Literally, there is not much to do as everything is closed and everyone is on holiday.  Which is great for New Zealanders, but sort of a bummer for those of us who wanted to go to a restaurant or bar for NYE.  So, we do the one cool thing you can do on New Year’s day, we go to the Waipu Scottish Highland Games.

The Highland Games take place all over he world and are a wonderful mixture of cultural, arts, and sporting events.    Originally the games were started to stop the blood shed between clans by using competitions to identify warriors and leaders.

Many Scottish clans were represented at the Waipu Highland Games.  Each clan listed their septs (sub-clans that have different surnames from the chiefs that they follow).   They listed all the septs so that the attendees can see which clan they belong to.  Evidently, none of my friends belong to a clan – could it be because they were German, Dutch, Lithuanian, and Swiss?

Musicians and Dancers

Throughout the entire day they had dance competitions.  Boys and girls competed individually and in groups for the top honors.  It was really cool to see the strength and agility these dancers had!  They danced on their toes almost the entire time and were so poised and elegant!

Fiddlers, drummers and bagpipe musicians competed for the top spot as well.  It was wonderful to hear all the musicians practicing all around the field.  There was a constant flow of music throughout the entire day.

Strength Competitions

The various strength competitions all took place in the main center arena.  They had 6 designated areas for each competition.   We eagerly soaked it all up!

The Hammer Toss

A 22lb Gaelic hammer is attached to a wooden pole or handle and whirled around the contestant with the hopes of throwing it further than his competitors.  The really interesting thing is that a few of the contestants had long steel knife like things sticking out of the tips of their shoes.  They then dug them deep into the ground to anchor them in spot as they twirl the hammer over head (see bottom left photo)

The Caber Toss

Probably the most notable strength competition at the Highland Games is the Caber toss.  A full length 18′ long Scott’s pine weighing in at 130lbs is lifted and tossed high into the air so that it turns end over end.  The goal is to have it land with the upper end landing before the end originally held by the competitor.  And it is not enough for them to just throw it, they have to make it land so that it lands in line with the original run (if a line were drawn from 12:00 to 6:00, they want it to land as close to 12 as possible.  They will get points if it lands at 12, 1, 2, 3, 11, 10, or 9.  If it lands between 3 and 9 they will not get any points.

Tossing Your Weight Around

A 56lb lead weight attached to a short chain is up next.  Each competitor grabs a handle and swings the lead weight around their body to try to send it the furthest and highest distance.  The winner today thossed his ball 12 meters.

Another 56lb kettle  is tossed next. This one however is tossed up, over, and behind the contestant.  They stand in front of a tall bar and try to toss the 56lb lead over the bar.  The bar is raised as each competitor succeeds until there is only one person left.  The winner tossed it 13′ in the air (the record is 16′).

There is a good technique that the winner constantly used.  He tossed it to the right of his right leg, then in between each leg, then up and over his shoulder.

The Sheaf Toss

The sheaf toss has been a traditional event in the highland games for many years. Competitors hurl a 16-pound (7 kg) burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar above their head. Each competitor has three chances to go over the bar, without touching it.  The bar is raised as each person is successful.

It was really funny to watch these strapping men stab a burlap sack with a pitch fork, then attempt to hurl it over a pole 10 meters in the sky.

Tug-of-War

They had many teams competing in the tug-of-war.  Most were evenly matched, but a few came out to be clear and present winners.

Vein Popping Fun

The last competition for the day had the competitors carrying (2) 125lb lead weights.  The person who carried it the furthest won.  Poor things, every vein in their body was bulging but they did not quit.  They crowd cheered each of them on as they passed attempting to hold on to these heavy weights.

We met many Scotts along the way, many of whom explained the rules of the games to us.

We enjoyed a super tasty lunch with all of our friends (me, Simona, Rokas, Minke, Sandra, Andreas, Jaap, Adda and John).

Not only does it take great strength to perform in these incredible competitions but they must have precision, skill, and technique to win. A wonderful to start the New Year!

This blog occurred on New Year’s day.  Our blogs run about 8-12 weeks behind actual events.  Did you catch our last blog about the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (Road Trip Part II)?