Current Position: 17 33.957’S 149 37.068’W; Local Timezone: UTC-10; HDG: N/A; COG: N/A; SOG: N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Tahiti, Carrefour Bay): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 4229 nm;
Comments: It was another work day. I started by removing the pre-filter (which was completely clogged) and circulated the fuel in the main tank through the Racor water separator. The pressure at the Racor filter fell to into the normal range. The pump is rated at 33 GPH and I estimate I have 65 gal in the main tank. Since the pick-up tube is at the bottom and the tank has been more or less stable for a week, I imagine the debris and water is at the bottom of the tank. After pumping for two hours, there was relatively little water and debris in the bowl of the Racor, so I pumped fuel into the day tank. After 35m, 12.6 gal had been pumped into the tank and the pump began to make the loud clicking noise. I could find no leaks. As far as I can tell, the vacuum required to pull the fuel from the main tank and then push it down the tube (which would have back pressure from the fuel in the tank) was too much for the pump. I turned the pump off and tried to start the engine. After I bit, I had bled the air out of the line and the engine started and ran smoothly. The engine will run to 3900 arpm when not under load. After about an hour, I turned the engine off and restarted the fuel pump and it seemed to run fine until about the same volume in the tank, then the pressure gages read zero and the strange sound comes from the pump. I don’t understand it. I took a taxi to the AutoPro to pick up fuel filters. When I returned, I dove on the prop to try to change the pitch. The ring was covered with barnacles (because it was the only part not painted with PropSpeed), so I got the wooded spatula I use to scrap the hull to remove them. While I was at it, I scrapped the hull. After doing that, I was too tired to work on the prop, so I opened a beer and laid down. The FEDEX package with the wind instruments have arrived and are being processed. I suspect getting and installing them will be the rate-determining factor in departing for Tonga. However, I have been doing some weather planning and it looks pretty nasty until Monday. Before that, I’d be looking at a couple of days of 10-15’ waves on the beam and a lot of rolling.
Comments: It was another work day. I started by removing the pre-filter (which was completely clogged) and circulated the fuel in the main tank through the Racor water separator. The pressure at the Racor filter fell to into the normal range. The pump is rated at 33 GPH and I estimate I have 65 gal in the main tank. Since the pick-up tube is at the bottom and the tank has been more or less stable for a week, I imagine the debris and water is at the bottom of the tank. After pumping for two hours, there was relatively little water and debris in the bowl of the Racor, so I pumped fuel into the day tank. After 35m, 12.6 gal had been pumped into the tank and the pump began to make the loud clicking noise. I could find no leaks. As far as I can tell, the vacuum required to pull the fuel from the main tank and then push it down the tube (which would have back pressure from the fuel in the tank) was too much for the pump. I turned the pump off and tried to start the engine. After I bit, I had bled the air out of the line and the engine started and ran smoothly. The engine will run to 3900 arpm when not under load. After about an hour, I turned the engine off and restarted the fuel pump and it seemed to run fine until about the same volume in the tank, then the pressure gages read zero and the strange sound comes from the pump. I don’t understand it. I took a taxi to the AutoPro to pick up fuel filters. When I returned, I dove on the prop to try to change the pitch. The ring was covered with barnacles (because it was the only part not painted with PropSpeed), so I got the wooded spatula I use to scrap the hull to remove them. While I was at it, I scrapped the hull. After doing that, I was too tired to work on the prop, so I opened a beer and laid down. The FEDEX package with the wind instruments have arrived and are being processed. I suspect getting and installing them will be the rate-determining factor in departing for Tonga. However, I have been doing some weather planning and it looks pretty nasty until Monday. Before that, I’d be looking at a couple of days of 10-15’ waves on the beam and a lot of rolling.