May 4-9 — Yes, Launched, But Not Sailed — Due To Currently Unsolved Water Problems.

 Before motoring away from the Huguenot on Tuesday I checked the bilge and it was essentially dry. The next check was on Thursday, with plans for David and I to help each other mount sails on each others’ boats. But there were about 40 to 50 gallons of water in ILENE’s bilge and my half of our time together was devoted to removal of the water and trying to find out how it got there. Then we mounted the Main on David’s boat. 

The bilge is only about six inches wide at the bottom, but widens to about three feet at the top. The water was still six inches or so below the bottom of the cabin sole so no harm done. But the automatic bilge pump,  like a sump pump (controlled by a float switch) in suburban homes, was not working. And it still is not, despite a couple of hours work by David to try to find out what is wrong. He found that electricity is flowing to the switch on the circuit breaker that controls the sump pump, but it does not turn on when that switch is turned.

I’ve started using a hand-held battery-operated liquid transfer pump and a five gallon bucket to measure how many gallons I pump out each day. 

Five on Friday, and salty. There is also a separate shallow square sump under the diesel and I noticed that it was full and took out four more gallons from there. This suggests the water if coming in from aft, possibly the bearing where the propeller shaft exits the boat. Maybe the large volume came in while motoring for an hour on Tuesday.

Saturday the Harlem’s scheduled work party was rained out by heavy rains and winds.

Sunday, Mothers’ Day, was supposed to be the first sail of the season with some new friends, but it got rained out and also thwarted by the fact that the sails are not mounted. The day was a huge success for our caterer, with many families dining in the restaurant in two seatings. Checking the bilge after two days with all that rain, the shallow sump under the engine was rather dry, I pumped twelve gallons from the bilge and tasted it. A lot less salty. This suggests rain water from the top.

Also, after removing the boards of the aft cabin giving access to the propeller shaft and exhaust “elbow”, I ran the engine for a few minutes and even put it in forward for a few seconds, straining against the mooring, to look for water entry, but found none. If the theory that the water is coming from back there is correct, maybe I have to run the engine at a higher speed for a longer time (after the sails get mounted, and I can take it off the mooring).

Meanwhile I have obtained a sheet of rubber to fashion a better barrier against rainwater entering the boat from the top, through the mast partner — the hole in the coach roof through which the mast passes on its way to its base just above the bilge.

Frustrating, but this too shall pass.