Well, we’re now officially into the hurricane season and I haven’t seen the sun since Monday. The sky alternates between gloomy grey and menacing black, assuming you can see the sky at all which isn’t by any means guaranteed when it rains. Rain doesn’t do it justice though, it’s more like buckets of water being tipped from on high. Luckily it’s warm water, but it’s just as wet as the cold stuff. On Tuesday I hopped out of the car and ran 10 metres to a shop to buy an umbrella which proved to be a futile task as I was drenched to the skin before I got halfway. Humph, as the lovely Ulrika would say.
I’m not the only one feeling the effects of the rain, I even found a drowned frog today so it must be wet…
At least the beach is no longer a distraction so I’ve been working hard on Odyssey all week, doing full 8-hour days. Lordy, it’s like being at work! My task this week was to start installing the new electronics, starting with the autopilot. This comprises several parts: a big drive unit to move the rudder from side to side, a sensor to detect the rudder angle, a fluxgate compass to find north (along with south, east and west hopefully), a central computer unit, and the control head. This final one is nice because it’s got a big round knob with “Power Steer” written by it, so once it’s all working I can sit snug in the shelter of the sprayhood and steer by twiddling the knob. Excellent! No need to get wet at the helm any more 🙂
It took the best part of a day to work out how to fit it all in and come up with measurements and cable routes and stuff like that. I soon realised that I’d need a big chunky metal bracket to hold the drive unit in place as it generates forces of around half a ton, and if I knocked something up out of plywood and superglue as I normally do it probably wouldn’t last five minutes.
Luckily Pier Seventeen came to the rescue in the shape of the machine shop guys, Juan and Warren. I made a template out of cardboard representing the bracket I needed, and they set to work with big hunks of metal and scary looking machines. Sparks flew, temperatures rose, Spanish curses (I assume) filled the air, and before too long they passed me a shiny new bracket, still hot to the touch. It fits perfectly, so now I just need to get them to drill some holes in it so I can bolt it in place and I’m in business.
New autopilot drive & sensor attached to rudder
While they did all this I managed to fit all the other bits and pieces, hiding the compass in a cupboard, and the main course computer in the unused third toilet. Once the wiring was all in place I switched it on and hey presto – it seems to work! On Monday I’ll connect it to the rudder, and hopefully the drive will be able to move it.
I’ve finally finished ordering all my new electronics, which I’ve had to do in $5,000 batches due to the daily spending limit on my card. For those of you into facts and figures this is what I’ve bought (with links to the manufacturers’ websites):
Raymarine SmartPilot S3G with 8001 control head
Raymarine ST60 wind, depth, log & graphic display
Raymarine E120 (for chart table) and E80 (for helm) chartplotter/radar displays
Raymarine 4kW radar antenna with 48nm range
Icom 502 DSC VHF radio with remote command mic for the helm
Furuno FS1503EM single side band radio
Furuno GP37 DGPS satellite navigator
This little lot came to over $15,000 which is a bit scary, but at least I’ll know I’ve got a state of the art system which should last a good few years. I can’t wait to try it all out but it’s going to take me another week or two to get it all installed and working. Lets hope I get all the wires the right way round!
And that’s been my week so far. I’m just about to have some beans and rice for supper while I watch a film, then I plan to pop along to the local bar for a drink or three. I’m not sure about the weekend yet, if the weather’s good I’ll hit the beach otherwise I’ll probably work on Odyssey tomorrow and go out clubbing in the evening. Anyway, enough already, it’s time to eat…