The long way home

[klee wyck]

Well Bill, looks like Libra just rounded third and is headed for home.


STAR KVARVEN departed from
Port PANAMA CANAL
at 2016-07-31 20:07 Local Time (2016-08-01 01:07 UTC) Time of Arrival/Departure is the time the Vessel approaches the entrance/exit of the Port respectively.

Yeah Hawg, her transport is steaming past Mendocino as we speak after leaving Long Beach yesterday and is next scheduled into a little port south of Dodd Narrows called Harmac on Sunday. I am hoping New Westminster is the day after that.
I downloaded some CHS charts onto my Ipad today to hopefully get us down the river after she splashes.

 

[klee wyck]

She is home..what a ride

Libra is home but it was quite an adventure at the end. We splashed in the Frazer River and immediately began dealing with bad fuel issues. A three hour planned trip to home port in Blaine Harbor ended up to be more like 15 hours and a total day of 22 hours with travel to and from the splash site. Dead in the water a couple of time in the River and the Straight of Georgia. Used up all spares on board and hand washed a couple to get in. Lots of very poor judgement along the way that really could have put us in harms way. Amateur hour in a lot of ways.
Still, she is home and the work begins to get her ship shape and a good lashing to remind myself to make better judgements about when to go and when not to. Being dead in the water in the Frazer with 3.5 knot of current downstream and 20 knot of wind the opposite direction with a lot of barge traffic......not good. Being dead in the water in Georgia Straight with 20 knot northwesterly and 7 foot rollers......bad idea. Should have found a polisher up there and waited for a better day.
The ship is all I expected her to be and looking forward to cruising her when we get her cleaned up and ready. See pics.

 

[man n black]

Congrats on getting her home! Sounds like lessons learned and likely won't soon be forgotten!

Cheers,
Ch

 

[CPseudonym]

Congratulations on a beautiful little ship Bill. She made it home.

 

[FlyWright]

WOW! Can't wait for the rest of the story!

Glad she and you are home safe and sound.

 

[klee wyck]

Well I am starting to get my bearings with the new boat. My blood pressure and nerves have had enough time pass from the wild Frazer River/Straight of Georgia trip bringing her to Blaine. Flywright, the rest of the story can only be told doing it justice over a good long pint on the front deck but a couple of highlights: The first time the main shut down we were in the Frazer about 30 minutes downstream from the Surrey Docks where she was unloaded. The Frazer is pretty wide at that point but not so much the navigable channel which is a bit tight for large two way traffic and there is plenty of it. When she shut down there was a 700-ish foot car carrier about 10 minutes behind us also going downstream slowly. Imagine how much steerage that beast has moving 7 knots with a 3.5 knot current behind her. Not much and we are dead in the water in her path. But for a diesel tender that jerked us out of her way, a tough day could have gotten a lot tougher.
When we were dead in the water out in the Straights, I called upon my membership in BoatUS for assistance due to the risk of ending up on the beach. Two and half hours away and really not that interested in coming which they never did. Could have been a real tough day if washing the filter elements in diesel from a Gerry can hadn't put us barely underway again all the while being broadside to 6+ footers which wasn't really making for cleaner fuel....we could manage about 800 RPM or create too much vacuum to keep the main fed having long since abandoned the generator which runs the thruster on this single engine beast that I had never driven.
We limped into the guest dock where she has been sitting since that day while I gathered my wits and sourced filters for the Racor like Separs on the bulkhead and the engine mounted filters on the Mercedes main and Mercedes genny.
Being Fall and harvest season I haven't had a lot of time to give her.
Today was a good day though. All new filters and despite the fact that Petroclean has not yet been able to catch up and get us, we got both engines primed and running. We ran them at the dock for some good exercise and got some time to study some of the systems on the boat. The study will be a long process with lots of Dutch to English translation involved as we study some manual and look for other resources on parts of the ship which are not covered in the material that we have.
Late morning we (admiral and I) had enough courage to pull away from the dock, exercise her a little, and get her into her permanent slip.
Pretty reassuring day all in all. Klee Wyck is reasonably heavy at 56000# but this beast weighs in at 114000 and I was concerned about how that would feel and handle. Nice! The two pictures here are likely a good part of the reason that she handled so well in tight quarters with a decent cross breeze. The very large fluid powered thruster and this 44 inch tall, deep, and very flared rudder made for just the right medicine for her white knuckled captain!
Good to be home.......

 

[MurrayM]

You sure aren't a tippy-toe to the edge and peer hesitantly over kind of guy are you?

Dare to Dream...

 

[CPseudonym]

 

[klee wyck]

Craig,
Thanks for fixing those pictures that were bugging me. My kids have grown up and left home so the technology department here has been hurt badly. I thought they were upright when I uploaded them but had no idea how to fix them.....

 

[klee wyck]

Earlier in this thread or another, someone asked about interior photos of this vessel. I had time to snap a few today while we were exploring our new digs. Apparently I neglected to remove evidence of the cleaning frenzy in the galley.
I hope these end up right side up.

 

[CPseudonym]

Is there a date marked on the photo above the table in the third picture?

 

[klee wyck]

Is there a date marked on the photo above the table in the third picture?

Craig, there are two of these pictures of the ship on the hard that are present on the boat, the one here in the dining room and another in a companion way to a stateroom. One has a date of 1989 which would have been the year she was first splashed and the other has no date. I do not remember which was which but I think the one in this third picture is the dated one.
I get a kick out of the juxtaposition of the exterior and engine room of this vessel on one hand, and then the interior of this vessel on the other hand. The exterior is this no nonsense, tough ass, almost workboat look while the interior is this classic warm yachty look. Almost like two different boats. Very cool.

 

[FlyWright]

Beautiful, Bill! Sure beats the hell out of that Californian you were considering.

I'd like to hear the rest of that story on the bow of Libra someday!! If you'll bring the cheese, I'll bring the beer!

Cheers!!

 

[klee wyck]

Beautiful, Bill! Sure beats the hell out of that Californian you were considering.

I'd like to hear the rest of that story on the bow of Libra someday!! If you'll bring the cheese, I'll bring the beer!

Cheers!!

You know Al, I don't really look at it that way. I think in a lot of ways that Californian would have been as good a decision had I been able to understand what I was looking at and get comfortable with it. It was more usable in many ways and likely a better value in terms of dollars per ounce of enjoyment. The one multipurpose room above sea level with lots of glass effect inside, the socializing and water access space outside, and the common twin machinery would be really nice to have for sure. In the end, I am a one-off and metal hull kind of guy though I am well aware that indulging those tendencies comes at a significant price in terms of usability, serviceability and sale ability. We all end up making different compromises along these lines but I am quite certain that I would have fallen in love with that boat if I could have gotten to the point where I knew what I was getting. The fact that the seller was a boat flipper probably clouded my judgement and made me walk away from something that made a lot more sense than what I ended up doing. I have an irrational fear of waterlogged frp sandwiches.

Also, to those still reading this thread and who may consider importing a boat from Northern Europe to the PNW, consider that carefully. If you go ahead, I can recommend without reservation, Raven Offshore out of Sidney, BC. I would do this again in another life, and I would use their services again. Contact is managing partner Rick Gladych. I cussed him at times during the process but they are pros in the end. I will admit to being glad that is behind me, but a pretty cool thing to experience. Put your big boy pants on and take a deep breath if you decide to do it. Expect a few grey hairs out of the deal.

 

[healhustler]

All worth while endeavor when you end up with something so spirited, rich and soulful. So glad to have such a vessel as one of the great steelers in our TF inventory.

 

[FlyWright]

Bill's got so much floating steel we're going to have to start calling him "Rusty".

 

[klee wyck]

All worth while endeavor when you end up with something so spirited, rich and soulful. So glad to have such a vessel as one of the great steelers in our TF inventory.

Thanks to all of you for your moral support and kind comments during this experience.
I bit of irony in healhustlers comments on fine steelers.....
So we hobble into Blaine in the middle of the night and get customs out of bed to clear us in and import the ship, finishing up an absolutely exhausting day at about 2:00 in the morning and I hustle off to find a bed leaving the carnage tied to the guest dock. I gather myself up in the morning and back to the marina to reassess. What do I see across the way tied off to the linear dock over by the fishermen???? None other than Delfin in real life! I took a walk over there toward evening and can say with absolute certainty that that boat is even more inspiring up close and in person than she is on this screen. What I find so compelling about her there is this very uncommon combination of a very well found and historic vessel, and an owner and steward of this fine vessel that has taken completely uncompromising care of her. Her coatings and outfitting are just stunning to behold. I would love to shake her owners hand and congratulate him, but in lieu of that, I hope he reads this and accepts this virtual salute because he has earned it. Breathtaking.

 

[CPseudonym]

Bill, I'm sure Carl would love to meet you and likely swap boat tours with you. I've yet to meet him in person but have had many great conversations with him. Like most TF'ers he seems to be a genuinely nice guy.

Watched U-571 today with an old friend and got an idea of what Libra's North American maiden voyage must have been like.

 

[klee wyck]

Watched U-571 today with an old friend and got an idea of what Libra's North American maiden voyage must have been like.[/QUOTE]

That is hilarious Craig, and yes, it did feel like that at times. This boat must have plied calm waters only as when we got in the big stuff out in the Straight, more and more stuff started flying around and the relentless banging was part of the stress of the whole thing. I kept trying to pile it up in tight spaces to keep it from flying into us and to stop the freaking banging so we could concentrate on the task at hand.
The big difference in our case was that the enemy was in fact us, and our poor preparation and poor decision making.

 

[klee wyck]

The saga continues, albeit under calmer conditions...

We are getting a few projects completed toward the goal of cruise ready. Electrical conversion underway now that we have an understanding of strategy and should be manageable. One hundred feet of 5/8 chain on both anchors is never going to work in the PNW and so trying to match chain locker capacities to adequate length of rode. I wish I had a picture of the very cool and unusual windlass....(note to self).
The completed project this week was the tank/fuel cleaning. It took a bit to develop this strategy as some boat surgery was needed to get adequate access to the tank which is integral to the hull complete with baffles.
Here are a couple of before and after pics that confirm that a simple polish was not going to provide long term satisfaction. I am glad I had good firm advice on that despite my temptation to shortcut this aspect. I have renewed respect for keeping fuel and fuel containment clean. We have made sure that next time will be easier.

Order of pictures is dirty tank, sludge, clean tank. I feel better.

 

[CPseudonym]

That should about cover filter changes in a seaway. Stay the course Bill

 

[klee wyck]

Is the Lowland on the market?

Max,
I am not sure of the nature of your inquiry above but if you have interest in a Lowland, a sister ship of the same build year just showed up for sale on our coast. These are very rare birds so thought I would pass this along just in case. Stabilized and looks very well kept.

1983 Boats For Sale

 

[klee wyck]

I recognize the perils here considering both the subject matter and the idea of seeking consensus among diversity.....but what the heck.

The electrical system has been Americanized to an operative degree, survey items mostly tidied up, fuel cleaned up, and we are on to electronics update after the holiday. We are planning now for the anchor(s) question. There I said it....anchor(s).

First order of business is more chain length. The two anchor system has 100' of half inch chain each. Apparently the Dutch canals are not deep and there was no plan to anchor in the North Sea! We will need more. The anchor lockers may hold 300 but this would be much easier to understand with one anchor rather this this two anchor system.
First, any comments on one v. two? I am having a hard time warming up to the two but many larger boats are set up this way (see first pic). What gives?

If one, there would be an option to use one of the existing nests or another option would be to go straight out the front over a roller. See second two pics.

I went over to Sydney BC to see the Ground Tackle boys a week ago and that would likely be my choice of anchor if going to a single off the bow and maybe even into a modified nest.

Comments, critiques, or ideas?

 

[klee wyck]

I am going to try this again because:
A. I figured out how to get the pictures right side up and
B. I got exactly zero input on my question and I really would appreciate helpful advice on this.
How many of you use a two anchor system? Do they foul each other on tide or wind changes? How far apart do you drop them?
I am having hard time warming up to two but also not sure how to make a good switch to one. This boat is not easy to fit on an anchor chart because of the length to weight disparity. At 52 feet and 114000# there are three anchor sizes between one recommended for this weight and one recommended for this length. Go with the largest and that is one very big anchor and brings the two anchor idea back into play.
I am also not sure what this windlass is going to do with one very large anchor. It looks like the current set up pulled one anchor at a time. It is an external electric motor driving a gear that is coupled to the windlass gears by two V belts.
What would you do?

 

[koliver]

Those of us with 2 anchors rigged and ready to deploy will almost never have both out at the same time. On those few occasions we have had two or more anchors out in a rafting situation. we have regretted the time it took to unspin the raft in order to begin hoisting either anchor. Nothing moves when they are twisted together. Just think if you had to do all of that work yourself!
The second anchor may be useful in other waters, but here in BC, if one won't hold, lighten the load by separating the rafted boats and each puts out their own.
Those carrying two capable anchors on one bow have a spare, for the rare times that one may be fouled and needs to be cut loose, for diver retrieval, leaving the ship with a full anchor system intact. That is usually only found on large, heavy boats, where the extra weight is easily carried. I assume yours is one of those, as you already have twin, heavy systems.
You didn't say what type of anchor you are getting, maybe to keep this thread in control, but that may also be a topic for consideration.
Regardless of the anchor type, 1/2" chain is quite large, even for a Dutch boat, so carrying a lot of it will be a heavy load. You might consider going to cable, at least after the initial 50 ft of chain, enough to provide the weight catenary that keeps your anchor stock on the bottom.

 

[MurrayM]

Check out the first stockless anchor to receive SHHP designation...looks like it might fit your bow plates perfectly: http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s42/first-stockless-shhp-anchor-23895.html#post398895

 

[jungpeter]

Klee Wyck

Yike, you're in a bit of a pickle with your anchor situation! I agree with Toliver, that two bow anchors are rarely set simultaneously in the PNW. So...how best to rig your new boat?

As I presume up-sizing one of your existing anchors is a non-starter due to the hawsepipe size and/or geometry or windlass capacity it seems to me you may be restricted to simply adding another 200-300' of chain to one anchor, and go from there. Frankly, the need to anchor in extreme conditions up here is pretty remote. Unless you deliberately intend to operate come hell or high water, the availability of sheltered anchorages is pretty good up here. And unless the existing anchor is pitifully unsuitable, additional scope usually fills the bill.

Obviously, converting to a bow roller and single more suitable anchor is possible. Just bring money. But in answer to your question of "what would I do", I'd add chain to one anchor and carry on. And perhaps board another 300' of synthetic line as backup.

Regards,

Pete

 

[klee wyck]

Thanks to the three of you for these useful responses. I feel like there is a sound answer in there and indicates not a strong need to get real creative here.
These two hanging there are large anchors with a geometry that is very similar to the anchor Murray referenced. I will try to get a weight on them when I am in the yard but judging by their size in real life against others I have experience with, I am going to put them around 150# each.
Adding two hundred feed of 1/2 inch G4 to one side only adds 500# of new weight which I am going to call insignificant (<0.5%) even given its location. This gives me 5:1 in 60' with 900# of steel and a very large fluke area between the boat and the seabed. I think I am going to call that good for the conditions I will see and be willing to anchor in. If it gets worse than that I guess I will be bow into it with the motor on and wide awake anyway! Hull shape/entry and low windage are in my favor I think and I am just not equipped to judge the buoyancy effect of this chunk of steel in a surge relative to the catenary available with all 300' of the chain out. Physics experts? The chain has a working load of 9200#. The capability of the windlass should not be question since we would never be lifting more than the current arrangement if never anchored in over 100 feet.

To Peter, it would not be very difficult to go straight out the front over a roller given the structure and material in the bow and that is one option I was considering. For that I would need the chain anyway so I think going with option of keeping these anchors and adding chain to one and running that way awhile would not preclude this option at a later date.

Thanks for the help,

 

[McGillicuddy]

If it were me, I would keep both anchors with the hawsepipe stowage and add chain to one side only. Coming from a commercial side we always had two bower anchors although we very rarely used more than one at a time. When we needed two, it was handy being right there in the hawse ready to go. Just having the choice of which side to drop an anchor in some situations can be handy. I love the big beefy windlass. Looks like it can handle hard work. And yes, work one anchor at a time on retrieval. Usually we only used two when there is a constant one way current such as a rising River. Set them out with a 60* spread, each one 30* off the bow, port and starboard. Love your boat.

 

[cardude01]

If it were me, I would sell that boat to me so you don't have worry about the anchor problem. [emoji41]