Azores or Bust

I have been on a mission to reduce the power consumption and cost of getting Mischief ready for adventures and to this end I had a success. I have made a GPS module that draws 60mA, cost less than £20 and feeds GPS NMEA info in a format that my VHF can read. This module also works on my laptop. My previous GPS feed was a Gamin 72H which draws over 100mA and cost around £100. One attempt at this resulted in a spare GPS module for my AIS unit. I bought a GPS receiver through ebay that cost £2.92 so I wasn't expecting much. It turned out that the GPS receiver didn't have a UART and the USB connector had no power connections. I tried removing the USB plug and pressing the bare wires against the GPS connector on the Matsutec. Within 30 seconds I had a GPS fix. After fitting a TNC connector I now have a back-up GPS unit. The official Matsutec GPS units cost £45!

WOW, she sails like a dream. Gusting force 7 and Mischief didn't miss a beat, I wish I could say the same about the engine! After loading up some more gear I set off from HNYC and moored up overnight on a club mooring then sailed to Stangate Creek on Saturday where I anchored for the first time. After dragging due to a rock caught in the flukes I had a calm night despite the f6 westerly. My chums from HNYC anchored nearby but it was too rough to raft up. The next morning I tried to weigh anchor but it was too shallow so after some towing and shouting I left the anchor on a fender and set off for lunch.  We had a good lunch in Queenborough at the Flying Dutchman, I didn't make it last year but did win blunder of the year award instead :-(. Engine cut out twice as I was approaching the ATL at Queenborough but wind and tide plus a helping hand from the chap on the dock made it look like I knew what I was doing. After lunch I returned to the anchor and retrieved it, it was v...

Had a couple of days on Mischief with mixed results. On Friday I wanted to fit four deck sockets (estimated 2 hours), fit a solar panel (estimated 1 hour) and first wet fit of the self steering (1 hour). After 6 hours I had only managed to fit the deck sockets and lash up a temporary solar panel arrangement. On the Saturday I completed all of the planned jobs, re-instated most of the head lining and worked on a friends boat helping him to replace his companionway runners. Very happy, I just hope the the second battery is taking a charge or I might have ruined it.

I took Mischief out for a sail on Friday. It was misty with a slight Easterly breeze and neap tides so ideal for a first run out. We covered the 8 miles to Queenborough into the wind and she didn't miss a beat. Every tack went well and she headed into the wind nicely. On the way back we sailed down wind and it was very relaxing. The downside of the hull shape is that the helm needs constant attention. The engine was used for a few minutes when leaving the mooring and again when returning. On a less positive note my tender has a leak. It half filled with water on the way out to Mischief and needed constant bailing to get back ashore. After cleaning the hole out, filling the aft chamber with builders foam and sealing the hole with Muliput epoxy putty I am hoping that it will be serviceable again. 

Ahead of schedule, Mischief is launched on 29th October 2018, only a month earlier than planned but hopefully I can put the time to good use. Just waiting for the hoist.

After running the Evinrude in dilute brick cleaner it seems to be cooling and running fine so plans to upgrade to an electric motor are on hold.

After a chat with the club Shoremaster he has a plan to launch Mischief tomorrow. I had a very full weekend on lat minute jobs but she is ready. 14 months of upgrades and refit , let's see if she leaks!!