We departed Blunden Harbour at about 11:30 AM. We would have departed earlier, but the tide was at its lowest at 7:38 AM. At that time, we had only a foot or two of water under our keel. By 11:30, the tide had risen by 6.5 feet. That made it much safer to exit the anchorage and harbor mouth.
While awaiting the rising tide, we took the chance to make cinnamon raisin bread. I did most of the bread preparation under Mary's supervision. We placed the dough in the pre-heated oven to let it rise. Once we got underway, we placed the loaf in the engine room for the second rising. We baked the loaf while underway. It smelled wonderful.
It rained intermittently during the trip to Sullivan Cove. We took turns monitoring the boat from the cockpit and huddling below in the warmth. Barlavento has a hydronic cabin heater that warms the interior of the boat and produces hot water. When the diesel engine is running, the heater takes its warmth from the engine's waste heat. A heat exchanger in the engine room, transfers heat from the diesel engine's fresh water cooling system to the hydronic heating system. The hydronic heater circulates coolant through three registers in the boat's interior. One register is under the chart table in the main cabin, a second is below the forward vee berth , the third is below the berth in the aft cabin. When taking warmth from the diesel engine, the hydronic heater works much like the heater in your car. When the diesel engine is not running, the hydronic heater burns diesel fuel to warm the boat. In addition to heating the cabin, the hydronic heater also heat our domestic hot water.
During the trip, the belt for the large 170 amp Balmar alternator began to squeal. This alternator is important because it charges the 800 amp hour house battery bank that powers almost everything in the boat. Squealing is a sign that the alternator belt is not tight enough. When the alternator is generating lots of electricity, it puts a heavy load on the alternator belt. If the belt is not tight enough, it squeals. I hoped that we could make it to Sullivan Cove before adjusting the belt tension, but it kept squealing intermittently. The noise is annoying. I eventually stopped the diesel engine and went below to tension the belt. That cured the squealing, but we then began hearing a new sound. An intermittent ticking sound seemed to be coming from the engine compartment, but it was hard to locate. We eventually abandoned the search for the source of the ticking sound and continued to Sullivan Cove.
Sullivan Cove is tucked in a tiny cove surrounded by mountains. The cove is filled with floating homes, a floating fuel dock, a floating store, a floating laundry and shower, and several hundred feet of floating docks where visiting vessels can tie up. All of the structures are connecting by floating walkways.
While docking at Sullivan Cove, we were helped by another guest who was also tied up at the dock. Randy is a former home builder from Las Vegas who owns a beautiful 77 foot long power boat. I asked if he would give us a tour of his boat. We spent about a hour visiting Randy and his family. Randy gave us a tour of the entire boat. It is beautiful and well equipped boat. It has all of the comforts of home. I must admit, I was a bit envious of the comforts he enjoys. The down side of such a boat is the cost of running it. When he is underway at 9 knots, the boat burns a gallon of diesel fuel per mile of travel. If he travels faster, the boat can burn two or more gallons of diesel per mile. He normally travels at 9 knots or less.
In the evening, I went searching for the source of the ticking sound. I found a sheared off bolt in the metal arm that tensions the alternator. I spent two or three hours removing the arm, extracting the remnant of the broken off bolt, replacing the bolt, and reattaching the arm. I hope that cures the ticking problem.
It is often said, that cruising is the opportunity to repair your boat in remote and exotic locations. There is definitely truth in this old saying. Modern boats are complicated. It takes a lot of time, effort, and expense to keep them working.
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