An apology – we’re not dead!

Well, I guess that’s what progress looks like – I haven’t written a thing since we re-launched in May, so it’s actually been going rather well! But a tentative phone call from friends in Australia to discover if Befur’s lack of posting indicated we were no longer shuffling along this mortal coil suggested it was time to write something!…. But, all is well, Lou, I and Befur are in good fettle….

A Review

We started the year finishing the engine rebuild and a host of other tasks, and as noted in the last post got her back into the water in May.

Since then we have steamed about 50 hours (according to the boiler log) and done a good amount of sailing too…

We have participated in all the Windermere rallies and attended the Loch Lomond do (sans boat), and a number of gatherings (like the Lay-Up Supper), and been stand-in crew for Shamrock late one evening on Windermere. We also participated in the SBA’s first Keeping Your Feet Dry (KYFD) event at Fell Foot on Windermere, introducing people to the joys of Steamboating.

The steam plant behaved much better with the new valve timing, but we are yet to install the digital indicator  to record some real-world data, (a job for 2023). The new condenser, plumbing and kettle made for a much neater installation….(but sadly the vacuum is still poor and variable, so a little more attention to the air-pump over this winter seems in order).

A walk around of the engine just prior to installation

The Boiler Test

The largest blot on the year was the boiler test. All went well until the Captain (Louise) used her better vision to spot some tubes weeping on the steam drum, which explained the slowly dropping pressure on the hydraulic test. 😦 

It became clear that we had a significant number of leaking tubes on the outer tube banks at the steam drum, and maybe a few showing a ring of water on some of the other banks too…

So, there was nothing for it but to get out the “contraption” and re-expand all (200 and some) tubes – not a pleasant game with the boiler and engine in the boat.

This is the first problem we have had since 2017 (so 5 years of service). We also got caught as our supplier provided rubber not Viton dowty seals and these did not like the heat….(bugger,  open it up AGAIN)…

My conclusion (as a rank-amateur) is that the reason it was the outer tube bank in trouble, is that these are expected to operate as down-comers in a Yarrow design. But in this particular boiler if the water is below half-glass then the tube tops are above the mean water level and therefore must operate as steam generators, and being furthest from the flame, they may be seeing limited circulation, so may be overheating at the top and hence the weeping….(pure speculation really, but seems to fit with the experienced facts.)
(Any informed commentary is welcome )

Either way, a couple of days of sweating and moaning (it was hot in July) by Lou and I restored order re-expanded all the tube ends in the steam drum, and we passed a repeat test, (with a couple of other minor changes to the pressure switch plumbing to meet our boiler inspector’s comments). So, we were good to go back onto the water…. Thank you to Chris, our stand-in SBAS boiler inspector.

A Bit of Sailing Too

We also spent some time trying to improve our sailing, and began to feel like we were actually getting the hang of it…

We were fortunate to be able to take some friends with more sailing experience out with us for a couple of trips.

The first trip was with Steve and Elizabeth (old work friends) who have a life-time of sailing experience (racing) behind them and their own ~40ft yacht, that they sail around the UK and Europe. They were very happy to take the lines and tiller and provide a demonstration of “how it should be sailed“!!  With Lou and I bracing ourselves against the lockers on the lee-side of the boat, and trying not to be ejected overboard.  Befur really FLEW!

So, we don’t have any pictures as all our hands were involved in hanging on! However, at the end of the day we felt very positive, while there were moments of thinly-contained terror, the fact was that the boat went and handled well, and we demonstrated that she was pretty stable, and we concluded that if it withstood that day, and given that we would NEVER push it that hard, we could take considerable comfort in her stability and sea handling.

We still had an on-going difficulty in getting her to tack in light winds, and during our second “training day” with David Hall, (member of the JRA with his own Junk-rigged boat on Coniston) , we had plenty of time to explore this problem. The conclusion was that while we could do better than we had previously, by treating it as a large dingy (and sitting on the gunnels to get her to roll into the turns), there is just too much windage on the cabin to reliably tack in light airs, but the Junk’s ability to “soft gybe” means you always have a way out.

Lou found the day good, as it demonstrated just how much time you have to make decisions and recover in case things don’t go as planned….(and sailing is very peaceful)

So, our sail training was a great help, and the work David Tyler had done (and our adjustments over the winter) in re-lacing the Luff-Hauling Parrels had much improved the set of the sail… We still need to find a hard point on the cabin to install a Tackline, to hold the boom down, as we strive for the version of perfection that Befur can manage.

 

Our final trip of the year was to tow Aurora to the slipway at Ferry Nab (Dot’ had been unlucky enough to snag a rope with a bag of stones attached – unofficial morning!!!) as there was a concern that her prop shaft was bent in the process she needed a tow… So a nice gentle steam around from Windermere Marina (where the posh boats live) back to our home at Ferry Nab, concluded the year.

We’re leaving her on the Lake this winter, and rather than stripping all the plumbing out to try to avoid frost damage, we took another approach, and filled all the feedlines, pumps and condenser with antifreeze – so we will see how that goes….

A little honesty

So, 2022 was a good year’s steaming – but we also got somewhat distracted by my other love: old bikes! So we had to bring our latest acquisition (a 1958 BSA A10) up to spec and finally finish the rebuild of the 1955 Panther and sidecar (An M100 deluxe and Watsonian Monza). We finished just as the weather turned to poo, but we are looking forward to much more biking in 2023….

So, there were some hours lost to this process 🙂