Departing NZ May 12
With the weather looking good for the foreseeable future and temperatures in New Zealand dropping, it’s time to head north. After a score of projects the boat is finally put back together; since boat projects are probably the most exciting event since my last post, I’ll detail a few below.
The most time consuming (and costly) undertaking here was no doubt the new engine. The old red Perkins is finally gone, much to my relief, and replaced with a new-to-me Yanmar 3HM35. All things considered the re-power went well. I was lucky to find the engine I did. Unfortunately, the low engine price and free transmission were a bit too good to be true. As Ellen and I pulled off the dock for a much anticipated (and delayed) cruise in March I noticed the engine RPMs didn’t match up with the speed at which the prop was spinning. It turned out the transmission I got was free because it needed a new clutch. Sadly, that canceled our coastal cruising ambitions and meant Ellen’s entire spring break was spent in Ashby’s boatyard. It takes a special girl to fly halfway around the world to scrape bottom paint, service seacocks, and pass wrenches for three weeks. Despite the hiccup with the transmission, the price of the new clutch and its installation still came out at half of what a new transmission would have cost, and, for the time being, the engine seems to be running well.
As well as the new engine Heretic has also been treated to new bottom paint, a new galley sink, a new preventer rig (the functionality of which has yet to be proven), and, significantly, new two-part varnish on the toe rail (after taking it back to bare wood of course). Pictures of various project bits should be up in the photos section.
All told New Zealand has been a decent, but at times trying, experience – a lot of work but it should pay in less maintenance concerns in the islands. Ellen and I are both very excited to go sailing again – it’s been since last November for both of us. We’ll be clearing out for Fiji tomorrow, and we can’t wait.
