Current Affairs

Down on the tow path, spring sunshine burns off the chill of an overnight fog.

Ghost ships study their reflections in the still river, as I walk toward the boatyard. Past Chatham's Historic Naval Dockyard, where Nelson's flagship Victory was built.

The veil of fog is abruptly torn aside. I pause to remove my woolly hat and down jacket as the temperature soars.  A coaster, detectable moments earlier only as a disembodied hum of invisible machinery, is revealed over on the wharf. Behind her, the spire of Rochester Cathedral lances the skyline.

Boats are jockeying for position, alongside the quay, when I arrive at the yard. It is now a sun kissed day which would not disgrace summer. Coffee is being brewed, knots of be-smocked sea folk chat on deck and the heady aroma of anti-fouling paint hangs in the still air.

I have spent the week finding out how to resolve the compatibility issue between Stargazer's new engine and her existing battery management system. Many phone calls have been made. I have become immersed in an arcane world of electrical 'current affairs.' A world with a language of its own: alternator power curves, amps, volts, serpentine pulleys, external regulation and more.

A 150 amp, high output, externally regulated Balmar alternator has been ordered. If all goes well, this will be fitted with a 64.8mm 6pk serpentine pulley before being shipped to me for the end of next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Paul the electrician, uncontactable due to a half term holiday this week, will be able to fit the new alternator on its arrival. It should just 'plug and play' with both engine and battery management system.That is what the theory says!

Today, though, Stargazer is ready for her annual polish and anti foul. A remarkable spell of February weather like this is not to be squandered.

Mission accomplished. Here's hoping that the electrical recommissioning works go as smoothly!

Valentine's Day

On a joyously sun filled Valentine's Day, I load a heavy wooden crate into the farm pick up.

Four days earlier Stargazer was craned out of the water under leaden skies. A lone sunbeam glinting off the glass of the dockside apartment block behind her. In a mechanical ballet, the crane gently lowered Stargazer into a cradle before swinging its boom clear; a tractor reversed in, with an hydraulic jacking trailer; Stargazer and cradle were whisked off to a waiting space.

Kevin, the engine mechanic, meets me down at the yard, screwdriver in hand. He sets to work dismantling the crate. Stargazer's gleaming new engine emerges into the spring sunshine, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

Kevin has been working, for the past 6 months, trying to cure the original engine's thirst for coolant. This first emerged during last season's cruising. In the autumn, all the ancillary systems were stripped off and pressure tested. No leaks were found. However, once the engine was rebuilt, the coolant was still disappearing. The symptoms pointed to a fracture in the block or one of its internal galleries. The engine had reached the end of its life. Over Christmas, friends from Poole came to the rescue with the offer of a replacement engine at 'mate's rates.' Thanks Mike and Gary!

I fuss anxiously as Stargazer is manoeuvred back under the crane for the engines to be exchanged. Will the new face plate fit onto the saildrive? Will Stargazer's immaculate internal joinery be scratched by the lifts? The starter panel is an updated design - is there room for it in the cockpit alcove? I realise that I'm not contributing anything to proceedings, and am probably impeding progress. I return to the farm. Kevin calls 6 hours later to say that the engine is safely in and filled with fluids. Just the wiring to do.

Two days later, amid the turmoil of a saloon filled with the contents of the aft cabin and cockpit locker, our first snag emerges. Stargazer has a sophisticated  battery management system (Merlin 'SmartBank Advanced'). This allows battery charging at tick over revs and has served us well on extended 'off grid' cruises - the kind we love the most! However, there are problems linking the new alternator to the original system. Its time for me to get phoning and Googling to find the solution...