Thanksgiving 2023

Thanksgiving 2023.  

 

Victron Monitor and Victron Solar Charge Controller

 Following up on the last post I completed the monitor install.  My first attempt at reading the output off my phone failed but when erased the Victron app and re-installed it everything worked.  That was two weeks ago.  Today I took out the out $40 solar charger (which had worked well) and put in the new Victron 75/15 which like the monitor communicates with my phone.  Voila, worked right away and to my surprise my solar array (150 watts ) was putting out 20.20 volts.  I'll follow it and put some of the stats on here.  

The only remaining issue is connecting the starter battery (as opposed to the house batteries) to the  monitor so that I can get a readout from it as well.  Easy job.  I'll take some pics and show details.

Victron Monitoring

I finally finished the installation of my Victron BMV 712 battery monitor.  The unit consists of two main parts.  There is a 2" round display and a 500 amp shunt.  I put the display to the right of the main panel door and the shunt is next to the house batteries.  

I have made some wiring changes and now all loads in the boat run through the negative side of the batteries through which the shunt measures flow.  By directing all loads through the shunt the monitor can accurately assess the flow of current in and out.

August 5/23

 Just a mid-summer update.  All is well with the boat.  I have updated some electronic equipment that I will discuss soon.  

A few weeks ago another sailor and I took the boat out so he could see how it performed compared to his.  We ended up sailing her extremely hard and all went well.  I think he was quite impressed.

Yesterday Mary and I went out in light air and then got caught in a significant wind change that resulted in our pushing the boat to her limit with full sail.  As usual she acquitted herself well and while we were quite tired after 4 hours on the water we were content that we had done well.













































2023 Ceilidh Launch

 

 This is our 7th season with Ceilidh and unlike Rubicon she is more work to launch and get prepared for the season but having the bigger boat is nice.

Although there are many jobs the main issues are in order:

1.    Cleaning the boat.  After winter the deck is filthy and grimy.  Two hour job.

2.    Retrieving the batteries from home and lifting the batteries (3 @ 80 lbs. each) up to the deck and down into the boat.  Hooking up the necessary connections.  Two hours and a lot of effort.

3.    Bottom paint--Not a hard job but takes at least three hours and it is messy.

4.    Varnish--Making sure basic varnish is applied where it cannot be accessed on the water.  Four or five hours.

5.    Testing the engine.  Critical job that has to be done properly.  1/2 hour.  Once the boat is ready the trailer comes in a picks up the cradle.  Then the 60 ton lift comes over the boat and the belts are slung under the boat and it is lifted off the cradle and lowered into the water.

6.    Retrieving and installing the stackpak/mainsail combo which weighs about 100 lbs and very awkward.  It is done in the water and requires that we old people lift the package on to the boat and then install it on the boom and on the mast.  Then we have to add two 16' long stiffeners to the stackpak and four battens to the sail as we raise and lower it.  Sounds easy but takes us about 3 hours after which we are exhausted.

7.    Retrieving and raising the genoa.  This is a huge sail that must be partially laid out on the foredeck and setup for raising in a groove on the furler at the bow of the boat.  It shouldn't take long but due to issues with a bad halyard (which needs replacing) it has been a source of unnecessary bad words.

8.   Installing the dodger, bimini and centerpiece over the cockpit.  Relatively easy but tough on the fingers.  Takes less than two hours.

So these jobs take anywhere from ten to fifteen hours and are hard work.  

After these jobs are done we retrieve the cushions, etc. 

Electrical Features

 Ceilidh's panel is a Blue Seas 8084 model and a matching 8 circuit 8023 Blue Seas panel mounted in the opening swinging door.  

All wiring is tinned marine duplex (+ and - wires in a jacket).  All the duplex lengths retain the covering to just before entry into the panel.  At that point the positive and negative leads are separated and numbered as per use.  

All wires are attached to a metal frame and looped (to provide more wire in case of a change).  The AC is separate from the DC and a lock is provided on the panel door to prevent accidental entry to the AC part of the panel.  There are 22 DC circuits and 5 AC circuits available.

Although analogue gauges are present a Victron BMV 712 has been added with smartphone blue tooth communication.  As of 2023 these two panels retail for $1400.plus tax in Canada.

Wires are attached to a riding frame to organize the wires and deliver them to a specific breaker.

North Channel Pictures

 For many years we made the trip north to Georgian Bay and on to the North Channel.  Here are some pics.

Anchored in Snug Harbour about 5 miles from Killarney in the North Channel

S

Ben, Vicky and Liz showed up in our previous boat that we sold to them in 2014.  They are great sailors and make good use of the boat.  I spent a lot of hours upgrading Rubicon and I miss sailing her as she is only about half the displacement of Ceilidh.

More Snug Harbour which is actually an enclosed bay that we reach through a narrow channel.  It is very deep inside but the channel can be tricky at only 6 to 8 feet.