Ship’s master has a mast day

Thu 13 May, HHN day 30: Install the 2 mast steps. Resolder the LOPO mast head light. And more tinkering, all under my beach-setup. (Or rudder avoidance take-2.)

Up early this morning, excited and also a tad nervous about restarting the water system. By 8am I’m turning on the pump and bleeding the air out via taps etc… then the pressure up. I watch the gauge rising… 1 bar, 2 bars… And just before 3 bars, there is a loud hissing from under the tank and my heart sinks ☹
But thankfully, it is simply the cold water intake pipe that I had forgotten to fully tighten the clamps on. As I tighten them, peace returns and my heart rate abates. I also get a nice spray shower direct in my face, in the process.
With the pump back on, this time the system goes up to 3bars and holds nicely. Phew! I am tempted to now ty-wrap all the pipes in place and tick the job as complete. But decide to leave it a day before doing that. Just in case…

So what to do next? Rudder, yes, the rudder. But on my morning trip to the marina washrooms I take in the glorious day. Clear skies and warm, but not hot. The perfect May day. And while sitting on the white porcelain throne, I decide to do some outside work for a change rather than more work in crouched and confined spaces inside the boat, as it would be when starting on the rudder.

So my day is focused on the mast head, getting the last few mast related jobs ticked. Trouble is, the mast is all in the full sun. Last time I worked in such conditions I suffered from sunburn for several days following the exposure. Then a plan hatches.
I’ll get the beach sunshade out. But where to secure it? It’s not exactly beach sand in the yard. 30 minutes later, I have drilled a sizable and deep hole in one of the yard’s block of hard wood, into which the sunshade fits perfectly. It’s not exactly beach scenery here in the yard but the shade fits the purpose for today.
And while I’m creating my UV protected workshop, I also bring my table and place it under the mast head. There now, perfect! Should I get my swim shorts on and bring out the picnic hamper to complete the scene? No, but a hamper of tools does come out.

Two objectives today. 1. Install the 2 mast steps near the mast top, to allow me to get that bit higher when working on the mast head. 2. Resolder the LOPO mast head light, and get its mounting riveted back on the mast, and the protected in UV resistant tubing.

The mast steps go very well. I drill, tap and insert stainless steel helical coils so that the bolts won’t corrode in place. I must say, I really like these helical coil inserts and I’m getting pretty quick at putting them in now. It feels so clean, and plainly the correct way to do it. The bolts get a better grip and the chance of corrosion is greatly reduced.
I red-Loctite in the coils and blue-Loctite in the bolts. And to prevent the steps touching the mast metal I add roofing butyl sheet and HEPE plastic (belt-and-braces).

During the process, I contact Noah in the South of France on his HR55 (basically the same boat as HR54, but with hull windows added). Noah had recently added 2 mast steps on this mast top. He sends me a photo from his zoomed camera lens and I’m happy mine seem to be placed at the exact same distance from the mast top. Thanks Noah, but if I still can’t reach the mast top… YOU are to blame!

Next is the LOPO light rewiring. I had to replace our original defective LOPO light about 3 years ago. They generously gave me a replacement, but of course they didn’t offer to go up the mast to install it! My soldering wasn’t up to much as it was the first time I’d done such work 80ft up in the air with vertigo!
With the mast now down, and with my table, seat and sunshade, the working environment could not be more different. The soldering goes well and I double-up the heat shrink, and then finally cover with a UV resistant tubing. There, Mrs. Weather… just you try to get your grubby moist little fingers in there, it’s not happening!
Next, I rivet the LOPO light mount back onto the mast with new HDPE behind it and lots of Lanocote. There finished. 2 jobs done by mid-afternoon. A record!

And it’s just at that moment, when I stand back to admire the result of several hours work, that I realise the newly installed wind instrument cable is totally bare. Why on earth didn’t I think about putting that into a UV tubing before I threaded it all the way through the mast?
Over afternoon tea this is niggling me. So yes, the wind instrument cable gets pulled again and UV protection added. Now I’m happy.

While doing this, I suddenly hear what sounds like pouring rain behind me. I turn and see someone towing an anchor chain down the yard, through the gravel. The owner is 3 boats from me. Finally, the truck that’s towing the chain stops when it is all pulled out in a straight line. I swear this anchor chain is 200m long, at least!

I chat to the owner. Apparently, this is the smaller of 2 chains he has in the bow! There is a very interesting story. He purchased his 60ft steel ketch as an unfinished project last year. It was abandoned for 16 years and he is now in the midst of finishing it with the plan to cruise the arctic.
Chatting more with him, he tells me he previously circumnavigated North and South America non-stop solo in a 30ft yacht in 2011. New York -> NW passage over top of Canada -> down the west coasts -> Cape Horn, then back to NY. The whole circuit took him 320 days! And by half way all his electrics and engine had ceased working. He is very humble about it… But oh, what a story that must be if I could get him to sit down and tell it. These boat yards often hide some serious characters!

While on the top of the mast, I decide to have a go at drilling out 3 broken off screws, inserted by numpty electricians a decade ago. To my amazement, I do actually manage to perfect the technique of drilling them out. The hole I create in doing so is rather big (4mm screw turns into a 6mm hole).
But no problem, I have helical coils inserts to fill them (you can start to see I’m in love with these little things!). When I now re-install the cable clamps which take the weight of the cables, the clamps will be bolted in place, not screwed. And, in 10 years’ time the bolts will still come out OK. “Hey, Mr. Marine Electricians all over the world, please listen and take note, you frinkin’ numpties?!”

Tinkering here and there on the mast takes me to early evening. It has been wonderful to be outside in perfect spring weather. But I am totally pooped. A shower and red Thai curry gives my energy and extra boost, but I’m looking forward to my bed again.