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| .... but with not quite so many people on board! Xena in June '10 Koh Samui Regatta which we won. (click to enlarge) |
Track Xena: go the the Tab above, "Track Xena" and follow the instructions. It's easy and they don't spam you!
I put a couple of recent emails from Grant in the comments section of the post immediately before this one, and will add emails to/from Xena to the comments section of this post. Latest comments at bottom.
Update (17th May): she's just south of Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon). More updates, see comments section.
PF to Grant 14 May:
ReplyDeleteFrom the latest US Navy currents chart:
if you can make some more southing (it seems the wind has backed a bit), then you can pick up south-going current around 15N and as far east of 110 you can keep. The exact spot the current starts is 15N and 110 30E (west of that is northbound). But anyway, neither is strong, about half knot.
Interested to know if any of that matches reality!
p
From Grant, just in (16:00):
ReplyDeleteThanks for the emails peter.
We have a 0.2 neg current at present, but still above 15N, hopefully get a positive current bit futher down we will see.
15knts on the nose, nasty choppy sea, motor sailing best heading can manage about 220, hoping it will back this evening, give us a lift.
Sunny and hot here.
have told Mike he will be racing. Hasn't raced before only grinding. Think best to put him with Noel for a start.
Everything OK here.
Cheers, Grant.
From Grant today 11:16am:
ReplyDeleteOk Peter thanks for the update.
Just on dark last night had to avoid huge log............half the length of Xena and about half height of her topsides. Could you please ask Simon to warn others leaving today, Kim on Free Fire etc . They should mark on their chart in vicinity 15deg 35 min North 110deg 12min east.
Thanks, Grant.
Peter's earlier email:
Latest from GFS is that starting Sunday after 5pm and for next 24 hours wind
will back to E/ENE offshore near your projected position (though W/WNW
closer to land, ie transition band), but lighter 5-10knts. Low pressure
system to East moving slowly E.
p
From Grant
ReplyDeleteThanks for passing info on re log. We see lots of logs but this is biggest I've seen,real boat killer...........would take your keel or rudder off. Been out there for a long time too, covered in oysters and two indignant seagulls calling it home.
Yes keep sending your weather observation if you have time and it suits.
Last night around 15deg 19min north 110deg 08min east had 2knt negative current , finally got out of it early hrs this morning, went slightly positive ........now.2knt neg again. winds light on the nose.Managing to motor sail,just enough angle in the wind. Flat calm sea.
Cheers, Grant.
PF answer:
Both CMC and GFS show winds continue to back to Northerly over next day and half, but not much (0-5knts), stronger offshore (5-10knts).
Re the currents: can't get sufficient resolution from the Naval Oceanographic Office chart to add much, other than say that whether +ve or -ve should be slight, definitely less than a knot. Perhaps closer to shore a bit less, though it's not clear from the NOO chart.... Looks like down the track a bit is neutral.
Whew! Again re the log....
Cheers
p
Peter to Grant 10:28:
ReplyDeleteWow, you seem to have some counter current... Not shown on NOO chart, which just has about half knot counter....
Winds: for rest of today should be E/NE very light. Veering to more E and later SE Tues/Wed.
You might be experiencing slightly stronger winds (to 15 knots) later today, E.
That’s GFS forecast.
p
From Grant 15:36:
Have spent the morning stripping all the cooling water system off the genset. Finally fixed, going OK now. Suggest when Xena back in HK install another filter close to the hull on the intake hose should improve.
Yes we have neg current 1.2 knts. Bit closer in than other times, maybe too close? However committed now, should change nth Mekong.
We have a light <5knt breeze off the land at present, just enough to motor sail. Sea flat calm. Sunny and very hot.
Rest all OK.
Cheers, Grant.
Peter to Grant
ReplyDeleteWind: more of same, E flow, v. light, veering later today/tomorrow to S, but light and confused, maybe even N... generally <5kts, little stronger offshore (GFS)
Rain: little, clearing
Waves: <1m.
Current: nothing to add, I’m afraid. From your SOG, seems you’re out of it now.
News: the MD of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn (and potential future President of France) is in JAIL in New York (Rikers’ Island, yikes!) on allegations that he jumped out naked from his bathroom and chased a chamber maid down the hall, pushed her into a room and had her go down on him.... He was nabbed at the airport and dragged out of his First Class Seat!....
Ahhh dear, the quirks of human nature. Jing thinks he’s innocent.....
More important news: Jib car in my hands.
peter
********
Wisdom from Grant
..Thanks for the email Peter,
I am afraid it is true God gave man a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to run one at a time. [PF: haha!]
Very little wind here at present. As I expected neg current has gone for now. Suspect earlier we had variable monsoonal current which can turn up anywhere going generally in direction of monsoon.
My friend the genset decided to malfunction again last night. This morning stripped the fuel pump down, found some small bits rubber most likely from the O-ring.
When we were in Phuket I suggested to Noel he get a box of O-rings (can buy in small plastic box with all the common sizes in their own seperate compartments. will use some more than others so simple to buy more that size and replace when you see getting low). Unfortunatley didn't happen so I have turned existing O-ring presently in the pump over, reinstalled pump, working ok at present.
If you are close to a hardware store you maybe able to buy box o rings, bring with car (don't make special trip I can most likely buy in Samui). [PF: will buy]
Another thing I've been impressing on Noel is that all ropes and even small cordage on Xena must have the ends seized off. On the bigger ropes whipped and on the small cordage burnt ends. Fraying ropes and cordage looks bad.
Have suggested to buy a very small gas blow torch for melting ends of cordage, better than lighter that keeps going out. Relatively inexpensive from harware store.
Full moon last night, good for spotting the floating nets lots in this area.
Rest all ok here.
Cheers, Grant.
PF summary 19 May:
ReplyDeleteSome correspondence below re the Port Primary winch. Basically motor fell off (!) and after discussions here in HK, seems needs a fix in Hong Kong, so for meantime Grant has put it back together and we’re on manual.
At 10:00am this morning, HK time, Xena has about 170NM to go, say 25 hours, so ETA Samui 11:00 tomorrow, 20th May, giving a good week to prep.
Winds variable, mainly light and on nose. Clear weather and calm seas, <1m.
******
Winch corro:
From Grant Wed 18th May:
….the port jib winched stopped working electrically this morning. Thinking it would be electrical in the switch stripped the switch to find all ok.
Investigating further crawled into the locker to see the underside of winch. Found that the 6 screws holding the electric motor to the winch had all let go and the motor had fallen off.
Suspect the screws have been loose for a while and a few extra jolts on the way down have caused it to finally let go.
Quite a mission to reinstate.
At present I have the winch completely stripped only the base plate and inner bronze tube left attached to the boat.
To remove the inner tube so I can screw the motor back onto the base of the inner bronze tube, looks to me like there is a special type of spanner.
Noel says nothing like that onboard and I have looked thru tools also and can't see one.
Noel tells me you use that winch electrically when racing.
If that is the case I need to fix so it operates electrically. If not I can reassemble and have operating manually, reinstate motor when back in HK.
If we need to get operating electrically................most likely best if I ring the Andersen winch guy (Simon somebody Noel says) discuss with him what my options are.
What do you think?
PF contacted Simon Boyde, 18th May
There is a better fix (not sure how easy it is). Basically the electrical motor should be 14mm higher. Simon Pickering said that the clearance for the motor to the deck head is only 8mm which means that when X Yachts built the boat, they made a difference of 6mm side to side on the boat.
They also did a custom version of the winch (hence all the difficulties - neither ourselves nor Andersen was aware they had done this, and of course they did not put it in the boat documentation either), which is why the damn thing had to go back to Europe in the first place!
Simon [Pickering] has said to me that he will need to modify the deckhead, which is of course major - and absolutely no one’s fault. An entirely unexpected consequence. It may be that simply raising the motor the 8mm left will resolve all practical problems.
However, at this time no one knows where the extra ring nut and spanner arm which would be needed in order to remove the spacer on the shaft to let the motor rise up, so they may need to be re-ordered.
I will follow up with the yard as to what the decision is.
Rgds
Simon
From Grant, 13:25:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the email Peter.
Yes that is exactly what we have here.............very light wind on the nose. Having to motor. Flat sea and very hot.
Lots ships and fishing boats.
My friend the Fisher Panda Genset and I are at it again.............Have told him he will not win, even if I have to pull completly apart and replace everyone of his bolts........ .not listening so far.
All the rest OK.
Cheers for now, Grant.
From PF
... Sorry to hear about the genset.... Good on yer for continuing the battle!
Can you confirm that the engine is charging the batteries?
Best
P.
[remember we had problems with this, and was supposed to be fixed just before departure]
Grant email 18:30:
ReplyDeleteAfternoon Peter, just come through big rain storm. Went from <5 knt breeze to 32 in a few minutes. Rain gone now and taken the wind with it.
Fisher Panda the XXXXXXXXX Genset has won the day today, refusing to start at all now. Will have another go in the morning. Yes confirm main engine alternator charging batteries.
PF comment [rest of email is about intricacies of getting access to tighten the motor on electric winches.... seems not designed for ease of access. Fix of the Port Primary motor will have to be on return to HK].
Under 100 miles to go.
From Grant 08:02
ReplyDeleteMorning Peter,
My plan with the Genset is to strip the pump down again when we get to Samui, buy new O-ring fit and hopefully that will fix. Pretty sure its a fuel problem.
Yes I think with the winch the repair will best be done back in HK and the special spanner will be needed for the job I believe.
Have had a few more rain storms during the night with strong wind fronts. Don't last long but strong and wet when they hit.
All going according to plan, should arrive Samui before midday.
Plan to clean up here, dry stuff out a bit before arranging transport across the Island to clear in, before they close for the weekend.
Will buy new O-ring on the way and fit on return to Xena this afternoon. Let you know the outcome.
Cheers for now, Grant.
PF comment
As of half hour ago, they were 2 miles from the beach, so they should just about be anchored by now (09:40), cf my est ETA of 11:00....
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