To my surprise all the plastic protection was removed from the hull when I arrived at the Dock on Saturday morning. The colour will appear lighter when the yacht is out in the sunlight and it will be interesting to see what shade of grey it is when immersed. The first coat of two pack polyurethane non skid is already on the cockpit floor o when all the construction gear is cleared away we will see the final colour scheme.
First look at the colour of the antifouling on our Didi 40 Cr
First coat of patinum grey non skid on the cockpit floor of our Didi 40 Cr
The colour scheme on our new Didi 40 Cr, passion X, is white with shades of grey. The boot top is light grey and we mixed up white and black antifouling to achieve a mid grey. I am waiting for the plastic masking the hull to come off to get a first look at the colour scheme and will post photos when I can.
Since the keel and rudder fit we have had the Hydralign three blade feathering prop fitted and the hull painted. We have been unable to get access to the hull for the past two days due to the masking and painting but tomorrow work can start again. At home I have finished shaping the tiller and applied the first coat of clear epoxy and I am getting gear ready to put on the boat at launch on Wednesday morning.
The three blade Hydralign feathering prop is fitted
The finished grey antifouling on our new Didi 40 Cr, Passion X.
Plastic shrouding around Passion X to stop the overspray going on Wild Oats XI
This week Passion X has been introduced to its keel manufactured at Complete Steelworx at Somersby and lovingly faired by Dave.
Passion X is sitting alongside Wild Oats XI in her massive boatshed at Woolwich Dock. Yesterday as well the rudder was fitted with very little fuss. Photos below show the progress.
The rest of this week are scheduled for underwater painting and antifouling.
Keel Alignment – very accurate fit
Simon Smith directing the operation
Keel on with Nick the Dock operations man in the foreground
Keel being craned into position
The rudder and prop shaft in place
Passion X our new Didi 40 Cr left home this morning. We had to take the roof off the awning, lift the hull out and then replace the awning. It all went to plan on a morning that was perfect for the task.
Last week the keel travelled from the Central Coast to the Woolwich Dock and now the hull and keel are side by side. Quite separately the mast, boom and rigging travelled from Queensland to Woolwich and is just around the corner from the hull. There is still a lot of work to do to finish the interior to our satisfaction but in some aspects the yacht is more complete now than the much loved Jeanneau 37 that it will eventually replace. The instrumentation is at the standard that we developed on Passion over ten years and we have safety harness attachment points that we took several years to add to Passion. The fridge will be colder, the alternator is almost twice the size and the fuel tank and water tanks are larger. What we do not have is a lot of fancy teak trim and I still have to add a lot of painted trim around the galley which I will do over the next few years.
Our next steps are to fit the hull to the keel, step the mast and go sailing but I am getting ahead of myself.
The neighbours over for a celebratory drink on the eve of the move.
Joking about the “red light” district.
We have lift off
Don’t drop it now
The underside view of our new Didi 40 Cr
On the truck ready to go.
Going
Our Didi 40 Cr in the slings at the Woolwich Dock
Back to work making the tiller. Might need it this week.
Today Monday 13th February Passion was lifted from its construction cradle through the trees and onto the semi which transported it to Greenwich Dock to meet up with its keel and subsequently its mast and rigging.
With much interest from the support crew and the neighbours the lift went without a hitch in the hands of true professionals JPM Cranes and Mark Anderson’s Boat Transport.
You can see the almost finished interior of Passion just prior to take off and the flight over Dave and Elaine’s house and onto the semi in the photos HERE.
Tomorrow the work of fitting the keel and rudder followed by spray painting and antifouling begins.
Tacking angles from today’s race
Tonight we set our No 2 genoa for the forecast 15 knots and established an early lead in the fresh conditions but then had to hang on as the breeze died later in the race.
We started lower on the line than the fleet and managed to keep our nose in front of Agrovation up to Onion Point. The run trough Humbug was tricky as to go low would have put is in the considerable wind shadow of Agrovation. The breeze went oversquare and caused an involuntary gybe which left us blanketed by the fleet Saoirse went low and we followed them until they decided to head up under the fleet leaving us as the sandwich in the middle. Somehow we picked up a bit of breeze from around Greenwich Point which was just enough to sail over Saoirse and under Agrovation. Ahead the crew spotted a patch of breeze which we sailed up to and then bore away to the corner of Cockatoo. Tashtego followed us out of Humbug and in a short space of time we had broken away from the fleet with Saoirse chasing us. Around Cockatoo Island Tashtego and Saoirse had a close race some 20 metres off our stern. On the work to Goat Island we were intent on not letting the fleet get to one side or the other or our position as the shifts were pretty big. With the smaller No 2 Genoa we could tack on the knocks and by Long Nose had a lead on the fleet. Agrovation was making her way through the fleet and by Goat Island she was on our heels.
The breeze had move light patches now and every time it went light we could feel Agrovation gaining. Fortunately there were enough gust coming through to keep us moving and we covered them through Humbug to get fastest time by a boat length.
We also scored a first on handicap with Agrovation third.
I like our No 2 genoa in 15 knots of breeze but once it gets below 12 knots we need more power. To compensate we move the mainsail draft through a very wide range of depths through the course of the race. I am hoping the new Passion X will have enough power to weight so that we can use a smaller easier tacking genoa more often. We will have to wait and see.
A crew busy bee yesterday saw all the winches and turning blocks fitted as well as the last five portlights. While the crew was doing that I was busy installing hose for the engine cooling system and the fuel supply. We had a deadline of 8 am today for the boat electrician to return and start the motor so there was no time to lose. More holes of the fuel line and plumbing routs had to be drilled and wet on wet coated with epoxy paint to seal the end grain of the plywood. The touch up painting was completed after 10 pm last night and I was up at 6 am today to pass all the hoses through the holes and connect the fuel lines. By 7:30 I was on the way to buy 20 litres of diesel. The Yamnar diesel started first time but we needed some advice on bleeding air out of the hot water system. I had all the gear needed to suck coolant through the hot water system and connect it to the motor so by lunchtime the engine was running sweetly.
Cooling water coming from the engine exhaust via the water lock muffler.
The prototype of the yacht I am building just completed the Cape to Rio yacht race for I think the third time. The provisional results shows Black Cat finished seventh on IRC out or a field of 20. They sailed on a TCF or 1.05 which I think they achieved with a reduced size genoa. Our TCF would be higher due to the deeper keel and extra sail area so it will be interesting to see if we can sail at that level.
A lot has happened over the past two weeks. A couple more days of electrical work and all the 12 volt system is completed including instruments, autopilot chartplotters, fridge and pumps. The lighting has the option for red night lights and I like the look. Wednesday the gas was fitted by the approved Gas Fitter. Yesterday was Australia Day and I celebrated with more top coat inside the yacht and the first fibreglass on the rudder. Today we had the electrician working and two of the crew helping to screw on fittings so we fixed all the toe rails, the last of the jammers and half of the winches. As a bonus we connected the refrigerant lines on the ice box and tonight I am testing if it will freeze water on the lowers setting. So at last I have some photos to show.
As we have moved fittings from the rumpus room to the yacht Elaine is getting some of her house back. At the same time the interior of the yacht is getting more comfortable so we had tea inside the hull while we enjoyed the music from the stereo and admired the night lights.
Our Didi 40 Cr showing off stainless steel, running lights and toe rails
The view from the stern just catches the stern light
Navigation station with red night light option on.
All the lights we can see from the companionway have the red night light option
The bulkhead instruments at mid brightness level
Even the cockpit locker had the red night light option
We have a very standard Raymarine system on the new yacht. We have wind, tridata for boat speed depth and water temperature, a liner autopilot and chartplotters at the navigation station and on the deck. It is a copy of the system on Passion but using the latest hardware. I reported my purchase of the last chartplotter and autopilot system in the last post and they went straight onto the onto the yacht. When we powered up the Seatalkng network I was surprised and annoyed that we had a constant “No Pilot” alarm that was preventing any diagnosis of the system. The issue was resolved by downloading the latest version of software for the EV1 course computer and it fixed the issue immediately. I am not pleased that the equipment shipped in the one box was not software compatible but at least it gave me some practice at the software updating and all the equipment is now on the very latest versions of everything. Also the discussion with the Raymarine technical person provided some good advice on system redundancy like putting the Seatalkng into both chartplotters so that if the master fails the slave takes over with all the data already connected. Another good idea is to have a dedicated Seatalkng power supply prewired behind the panel so that if the autopilot fails we can plug the power supply into the backbone and still have the Seatalkng network running. I could power the backbone separately but I have run out of available connections and in ten years have never had a fault with the autopilot system powering the seatalk network on Passion.
Software version 1.11 on the EV1 course computer instead of the required 2.17
With the instruments working I turned on the VHF and realized I needed the MMSI number so went on line to apply for one only to find that I had already done the exercise and already registered the VHF and AIS. I shot off an email to AMSA apologizing for being forgetful and promptly entered the data into the VHF and it worked even without the antenna installed. The radio is working fine too and so are a few lights.
The next target for electrical completion is the fridge. The condenser is mounted in the ice box and the compressor is sitting on the base ready to be joined so by Friday night I hope to have a cold beer in the fridge.
The other domestic appliance that needs to be installed is the oven and the gas fitter is due this week.
Our friends on Izzi sailed the Wednesday twilight race remarkable well. By good luck or canny choices thy carried a larger genoa while we had our smaller No 3 up for the windy conditions at the start. We still had the reef in the mainsail from last week and opted to leave it there for the gusty trip through Humbug. We were a bit under powered in the sheltered area around the start line but once into Humbug we managed to match Worlds Apart and take an early lead. Saoirse was sailing fast in the stronger winds and having a great battle with Worlds Apart but they both overstood the turn to Cockatoo Island and we stretched out our lead a little. We probably lost a little on the corner as we had to pinch hard and slow to clear the dock by an arms with. This was the first of three close shaves on the evening and we were considering renaming Passion after one of those razor brands. The next close shave was at the navigation mark on Balls Head. Tana and two Etchells were below us and we could see that they would need to tack onto port to avoid running aground. We had a Young 88 just ahead so it was quite crowded conditions. When Tana and the two Etchells tacked we opted to take their sterns and try to clear the point on starboard tack but Tana stalled and we were forced to make a big deviation around her stern which took us below the point. We hung on and pinched to just clear the point but the deviation and slow sailing brought Izzi right up to us. In the light conditions around Balls Head Izzi was powering along and had now passed Worlds Apart and Saoirse who were having a very close battle to leeward as we approached the Navigation mark at Goat Island. We took out the reef for the run back to Long Nose as the wind was moderating. We lead around Goat Island but once into the clear air Izzi poled out their large Genoa and powered past. The carried the poled out Genoa very high and managed to sail through our lee and from there with more sail area sailed faster to the finish.
We could see Worlds Apart and Saoirse not far behind as we crossed the line. We were happy with our result considering the condition and were pleased that Izzi had sailed so well for a first and fastest.
Back at the club ML and her team put on another great BBQ and the light drizzle could not dampen the spirits on the deck. With the first three handicap place getters opting not to stay for the BBQ and presentation we were the first to the prize table for another bottle of wind from one of our sponsors.
The new white bulkheads brighten up the hull. While it has taken more time I am pleased it is done.
The battery box, isolation switches, charge control relay and battery charger.
The instrument panel with 12 volt panel, chartplotter, VHF and AM/FM radio. On the right is the tank level. 12 volt outlet and 240 volt panel.
It has been over three weeks since my last progress report on the building or our Didi 40 Cr due to a break from building when we drove to Adelaide for the Laser Nationals. Prior to the break I was busy painting all the galley components and working on the ice box. Since we returned home on Friday 6th it has been a frantic effort to keep the painting ahead of the electrical installation.
I have been drilling lots of cable holes and openings for instruments and mounting them ahead of my boat electrician schedule. From Monday to Friday he completed a substantial amount of the wiring and we now have the engine battery and three house batteries installed and on charge from the shore power battery charger. The 12 volt panel is wired up and power has been supplied to the two chart plotters and to the autopilot. We are waiting for some Seatalkng connectors to connect the power to the backbone and light up the water speed, wind speed and autopilot control instruments. We are also waiting on a long networking cable to send data between the two chart plotters and a cable to convert Sealtalkng to NMEA 2000 to interface with the AIS.
Most of the light fittings have been mounted but removed so I can finish the top coat.
The other change has been the painting of the bulkheads white instead of the planned clear finish. I was planning on just a couple of coats of varnish over the epoxy on the bulkheads to save time but the first coat of varnish showed up too many imperfections in the timber so I have gone for an extra two coats of undercoat and a top coat or two. The warm weather has helped the paint drying process but it is best to leave each coat for two days for ideal sanding conditions. This week I plan to install the plumbing and fit in the last of the major painting in between. I also have to mount a number of 12 mm ply panels for securing electrical equipment to the hull as we cannot drill into the single 12 mm skin. There is also a 24 mm thick panel required to bring the skin up to 36 mm for the base of the autopilot actuator. I will get a stainless steel backing plate for this as the bolts will go through the transom and will need to be decorative as well as functional.
Our stainless steel pulpit and pushpits have been trial mounted and I am just waiting for help to finish the fixing to the hull. I did a shop on the super hot Wednesday last week for the autopilot and second chart plotter and on Saturday another shop for more paint and all the nuts and bolts for fixing the rest of the fittings.
Tracks from a windy Wednesday with awful tacking angles on the way out off Onions Point
The weather patterns seem to have gone missing as we had one very mild regatta sailing Lasers in Adelaide. Not that I minded as the ribs are still healing from the fall down the companionway and I needed a rest from the boat building.
Our first sailing outing on return was the twilight at Greenwich Flying Squadron where for a third lucky week we scored a fastest time. It was lucky because we set the small No 3 genoa in anticipation of 20 knots of breeze and seemed to get a lot more. I don’t know for sure as we had the speed sensor out but the SOG went up to over 9 knots in one gust. The other lucky break was being too late at the start to put in a reef so we sailed full main through Humbug at a time when there was a lull in the breeze. Despite the awful tacking angles we emerged with a good lead and had overtaken the last of the bigger black fleet through Humbug. On the work to Cockatoo Island we put in the first reef and seemed to miss not one bit in the process to have out biggest lead of the night around Cockatoo. On the way to Goat Island we lost a bit of ground when a red fleet port tacker rounded up so we bore away to go below her only to have her bear away as well. There was no room to go back so we just had to bear away harder until they could stop. I think that was the end of the sloppy bits for the evening but by now Saoirse and Izzi were in sight. Fortunately for us they seemed to have a slow trip around Goat while we had a good rounding and hit our top speed of 9.3 knots approaching Long Nose. We left our reef in for the run back through Humbug as we had a good lead but it was a bit quiet for our passage and I suspect it was a bit windier for the following yachts.
We did not deserve to win on handicap and we did not but a third to Saoirse and Izzi was fair enough reward.
I am currently working away on the ice box or refrigerator on our Didi 40 Cr and the one thing keeping me going is thinking of a cold beer after a days sailing. There is many ways to make an ice box and I have chosen to use a low density foam on the outside 50 mm and higher density foam on the inside 20 mm so that the fibreglass will not have to be too thick. The two layers of foam are installed in the box waiting for the fibreglass to go over the top and the top and end of the box are made and detailed ready for the foam to be fitted to them in the morning. I have to remember to insert some plywood into the foam to hold the condenser as the light skin of fibreglass alone will not be strong enough.
There are lots of little jobs going on in parallel and I have a very specific list of jobs written out before the day starts. I think I am down to just four bits of plywood to fit inside plus the holding tank to make but as I type this I realize that I need rod holders for the three hanging lockers. Also the locker lid for the battery box has not worked out as expected as the hinges pull apart the wrong way. I need to remove the lid to be able to remove the end engine inspection hatch so I have a bit of thinking to do on this one before I will be content.
The car is full of engine compartment sound insulation and I want to install this directly onto the panels without putting them into temporary storage so that is another priority.
One long outstanding job has been completed to my satisfaction. When I glued up the panels that form the head the 45 degree join was a couple of millimeters out of straight. Now I can see a couple of millimeters so I neatly cut out the glue from the join and reglued it with thickened epoxy and this time used a massive straight edge to hold it all in line. The door trim also fits into this 45 degree join and overlaps the first join. It is now in place also held straight with a straight edge until the glue cured. The 9 mm plywood door trim stiffens the door opening significantly so it is looking good.
First layer of foam in the ice box.
For the last two weeks we have managed to achieve fastest times in our Blue Division at Greenwich due to good starts and a clear run through Humbug. Last week our seeming race winning lead was extinguished by a new breeze coming down the course and only a lucky gust at the finish saved us. This week we escaped Humbug on the way out in a similar fashion and managed to hold onto a two minute lead all the way. At the start the breeze was a bit more East than last week and we could not make the start line of starboard if we sailed up the Lane Cove River. We had to run back to the fleet and gybe before the line of moored yachts so that we sat higher than all the fleet. With the bias on the line we had a good lead and could tack onto starboard at will. Even with freedom to tack we just shaved Onion Point of the way out which saved us a few more seconds. On the work back to Goat Island we were on the wrong side of two shifts off Greenwich and did not get back into phase with the changes until we settled into a longer leg along Snails Bay. I begged for wind to get above the concrete dolphins and we got just enough angle so that Frank, putting in a welcome guest appearance, could not reach out and touch it. A timely involuntary round up turned into a tack and had us back in phase. Worlds Apart was no longer steaming up to our stern as she had been coming into Long Nose.
We sort of held our own for the run back around Cockatoo Island with the only real excitement being a late swerve to windward to avoid the protruding yard arm of the monster moored at the South East corner of Cockatoo. I heard another yacht in the fleet made contact so I am grateful for the advance warning I had from the crew.
Back into Humbug we could see the earlier starters becalmed so we went below all the fleet and managed to shave Onions Point on the way back in.
So all was well on the last race of the season and we won the handicap as well.
The Christmas BBQ back at Greenwich was well attended by and well enjoyed by all with some very excellent prizes for the raffle donated by the generous sponsors. As much as I willed it Keith did not pull one of my numbers out of the hat and I had to go home without the Helly Hansen wet weather gear or the Back Vintage wind selection or the Wild Oats bags but we did win one of Back Vintage wines for our handicap win.
Last week we struggled all around the course buried mid fleet and without any lucky breaks. An involuntary gybe at the corner of Cockatoo Island caused be a wind eddy forced us too close along the shore from where we never recovered. We were too close in at the West end of Cockatoo Island and caught in the wind shadow. Tacking back through Humbug we could not get into phase with the shifts and had a pretty average result.
This week was a different story. We set the No 2 genoa in anticipation of a southerly front which came through just as the fleet was starting. The smaller overlap and more comfortable sail area meant we were quick to windward and tidy in the tacks. From the first tack we had Worlds Apart covered with Agrovation behind her. With clear air we could pick our course and at the same time keep a loose cover on Worlds Apart and an eye on Agrovation.
We did not see the rest of the fleet after we rounded Cockatoo Island and were enjoying our time at the lead. Agrovation sailed into the wind shadow off Long Nose and around Goat Island we managed to stretch out the lead on Worlds Apart when they were caught in a light spot in the lee of Goat.
The breeze had dropped away to seven knots as we approached Greenwich when it freshened from the South bringing Worlds Apart charging up to us and past us. There was little we could do as the breeze we were in was lighter and tighter and until the fresh breeze arrived we could not pole the genoa out to windward. Once Worlds Apart was past us we managed to get the genoa drawing and sat on their stern blanketing them as much as possible as we entered Humbug. Luck was back on our side as a fresh gust from behind gave us an inside overlap at Onions Point and with a dead square run to the finish we all had clear air. Being to leeward boat the angle of the finish line favoured us and we reclaimed the fastest times win by a quarter of a boat length. While we could see only Worlds Apart and Agrovation at the finish the freshening breeze brought all the fleet home and despite that we managed a third on handicap.