Water Filtration

It's important to clean your water tanks every year!

The Peregrine has 1 aluminum water tank on port, and 1 rotomolded tank on starboard. Both hold approximately 20 gallons apiece and are located under the settees.

Filtration is done in two stages. The first stage is for both faucets and are filtered by a 5 Micron Pentek C2 Carbon-Impregnated Cellulose Filter Cartridge. American Plumber WGC478, Fits W385-PR.

Second stage is for pure drinking water. This is done at the galley sink with a separate 50 Micron New Wave Enviro 10 Stage Plus Water Filter Replacement. This is an under sink unit, the same we use at home. Water is dispensed separately, right next to the galley faucet. We use this for drinking and cooking. The filters are not cheap, about $50 apiece on sale but you can be guaranteed to remove all the nasties; arsenic, copper, lead and mercury. Removes phosphate and sulphate anions. Removes chlorine, chlorine taste and odor, pesticides, herbicides.

Flush and disinfect the tanks using the procedure below.

• Turn the water pump on and open all taps to drain all of the water out of the storage tanks.
• Measure 1 teaspoon of household bleach per gallon (of the tank capacity). Pour it inside the tank and immediately add fresh water to the tank until it's full.
• Turn on the water pump and let the bleach water run through all taps for two minutes.
• Turn the taps and the water pump off and let the bleach water sit in the tank for 24 hours. When the tank is sterilized, turn the water pump on and drain the water tank by opening all taps.
• Fill the water tank with fresh water and drain all water again. Repeat this procedure until the water no longer contains an odor of bleach.

Too much bleach?
If your water still has the scent or taste of bleach, use Vitimin C or ascorbic acid to neutralize the bleach. It's a safe and effective method for removing chlorine and chloramine, commonly used in fish tanks and other water systems. It's a newer chemical method that doesn't significantly lower dissolved oxygen or harm aquatic life.

How Ascorbic Acid Neutralizes Bleach:

• Ascorbic acid, in its various forms (ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate), reacts with the bleach (chlorine) to break down the compound.
• The reaction produces water and chlorine, which are then considered to be neutralized.
• Ascorbic acid is a natural option and can be added to water to neutralize bleach quickly.

Important Considerations:

• Ascorbic acid is mildly acidic and can lower the pH of treated water in large doses.
• Sodium ascorbate is neutral and doesn't affect the pH.
• While ascorbic acid is generally safe, it's important to note that the reaction can also produce chlorine gas in some cases.

Happy wife, happy life.

Practical Sailor has a good article about Decontaminating a Tainted Water Tank

Steering Cables, Rudder Post Seal and Emergency Tiller

Steering Cables

General work notes as I prepare for the next round of maintenance

I make it a ritual every spring to crawl, no, stuff, myself into the starboard cockpit locker and inspect and grease the steering cables and the sheaves that lead up to the binnacle. Grease also got applied to the shaft outside the binnacle, and inside by removing the compass.

I also need to replace the sheave pins and align and tightened as needed.

Staying centered. I should be able to adjust the eyebolts on the quadrant on the rudder post to center the wheel. There should be double nuts on the eyebolts to lock them in place on the quadrant. If the steering gets misaligned then I will need to loosen both eyebolts until the control cables are loose enough to remove the compass from the binnacle and move the bicycle chain a couple of teeth on the sprocket which is inside the binnacle on the shaft to the steering wheel. Then readjust the eyebolts and check the rudder and wheel alignment. Don't put the compass back on until you have it the way you like it. Tension on the cables should be snug but not too tight.

One of the most insidious places to look for problems is to loosen the cables at the quadrant eyebolts, then remove the pins holding the sheaves at the bottom of the pedestal (yes, from that cramped position inside the cockpit locker) - it is very likely that the pins have started wearing through. This loosens the cables (a sure sign of wear) and increases the wear rate because there is no longer a full support on the center of the sheave. It probably takes ten years before there is significant wear in light day sailing, but if you carry a chute in heavy weather for one long offshore passage (2000 miles) you could get the same wear in two weeks.

Rudder Post Seal

I made an initial attempt to disassemble the packing gland held together by four bronze bolts but was thwarted in my efforts when I could remove only one of the bolts due to the restricted vertical clearance created by the location of the steering quadrant immediately above the packing gland.

I then enlisted the services of the Boat Yard and working with one of their mechanics, with me lying under the stern seats, we disassembled the steering quadrant, which provided full and easy access the packing gland. From that point it was simply a matter of removing the four bolts, sliding the top ring upward, removing and replacing the old packing in both the top and bottom rings using a pick tool, remembering to cut the packing at a 45deg to get a maximum overlapping seal, and completing the reassembly. The whole job took about an hour and a half excluding the time to obtain the packing material, the exact dimensions of which I regret to say I do not recall. The significant point in the process was the necessity of the removal of the steering quadrant. I don't know if this would be required in all I-36's but if the clearance to remove the bolts isn't there, then it probably probably requires the removal of the pedestal.

Emergency Tiller

Digging deep under the anchor locker a few years back, I discovered a beautify emergency tiller all wrapped in carpet. It was in perfect shape, still varnished like new. All the fittings are stainless steel. I hope I never need to use it but it's nice to know it's there needed.

2019 Haulout - Edmonds

3 days on the hard at Port of Edmonds

The goals for the haul out this year were to apply new bottom paint, inspect the steering, sea cocks and drive shaft.

My surveyor cousin Jeff Kutz came over to check out the Peregrine. He said there is about 1/16in play in the cutless bearing and 1/18in play in the rudder. Yes, these issues are concerns and in the next 2-3 haul outs I will replace both the cutless bearing and steering cables.

I first ground out the 'smile line' where I get some rust wearing between the hull/keel join. This is a section about 2" v 18" that I applied 4 layers of fiberglass. I then faired =Marine Tex over the deeper chipping and applied two coats of bottom paint (WM/Pettit CPP Ablative Antifouling Paint) applied new prop paint (Fisheries/LPS Cold Galvanize). I also touched up the bootstrap (Fisheries/Interlux Brightside), and cleaned the topsides (WM/Starbright Hull Cleaner with oxalic acid and ethylene glycol n-butyl ether) plus a little MEK. I was also able to buff the starboard topside (3M 05954 super duty rubbing compound) but ran out of time to work the port side which I can get to from the dock.

The zincs were fine, which is a surprise when I hear other tenants in Kingston having to replace theirs more frequently. My slip D-36, seems to be less prone to galvanic corrosion for some lucky reason. Apparently the further away you are from the gas dock the better. I added two more zincs for good measure.

Back in the water, I had the pleasure of launching in the middle of the Edmonds Family Day event Sailing over in 7-10 knots of wind I was not able to go faster than 5.1 knots. But on the return to Kingston run, I was able to run at 6.4knots under power and against a slowly flooding tide.