Envoy is wintering in Lefkas Marina, Greece, and we’re home in New Zealand returning March.
The canal adjacent to Lefkas marina has a long history, the original one built by the Corinthians around
700 BC. Being of great strategic importance it was protected by several castles and we took some time away from working on Envoy to visit the Santa Maura Castle protecting the canal’s northern approaches. Workmen were busily clearing and burning scrub within the castle walls, and the smoke haze and smell provided an eerie authentic atmosphere to the scene.
Looking down on the castle’s interior from the ramparts we were able to visualise an impression of how the castle may have originally functioned - supplies being moved in carts, guards checking people entering through the sturdy gates, the din of blacksmiths and the aroma of baking bread. There were so many old cannons lying around that many haven’t even been placed on display. Even one of these would qualify as a treasure in New Zealand.
Ruins of buildings inside Santa Maura Castle
Prison cell inside Santa Maura Castle
Narrow and shallow northern approaches to Lefkas Canal viewed from castle walls
Cannon with maker’s name clearly visible
Discarded cannons in castle car park
Ruins of bridge across the moat to main entrance
TECHNICAL
Great news is that our leaking diesel tank has been fixed and is now partly filled with 700 litres of diesel. The Sailand engineers had to cut away a section of the tank to give internal access, then welded a large plate over the area of the leak, and closed the hole in the tank with a welded patch.
Continuing from last blog with details of non-routine technical year-end projects:
Master Head: was not activating its supply of fresh water upon flushing. This was an easy fix – just a failed plug-in wiring connection to the solenoid which starts the fresh water pump.
Bilge pump: our back-up bilge pump has been working on manual but not automatic, and I wasn’t happy to leave Envoy in the water for the winter with this situation. The pump was removed and found to have a faulty water level sensor, which has been replaced.
Lugger engine injectors: although the Lugger has been running fine we decided to check the injectors for the first time since new ones were fitted in 2004. On removal they appeared to be quite carbonized and when checked by a specialist shop, were found to all need replacing. I guess that’s not bad for nine years.
Lugger engine valve clearances: again these have not been checked since 2004, but were found to need only very slight adjustment.
Lugger engine starter motor and solenoid: these had not been serviced since 2004 so we decided to get them checked. There hasn’t been any particular problem except that very occasionally the engine doesn’t start with the first turn of the key. I suspected this was a sticking solenoid. The motor was found to be in good condition and only needed a clean. The solenoid was also stripped and cleaned, and hopefully won’t stick any more.
Lugger engine cooling system hoses: the two main hoses were replaced last year, but there are two small hoses (about 100mm long) which haven’t been removed and checked for at least seven years, partly as they’re very difficult to access. Sailand checked them and are satisfied they’re OK.
Lugger engine diesel leaks: one slight leak was fixed from a fuel pipe coming from the injector pump. Our lift pump had a slight leak and was replaced with a new one.
Portholes: One of our bedroom portholes has been leaking in heavy spray or wind-driven rain. Sailand are going to re-silicone the exterior where the housing meets the hull and replace the rubber seals on the inside of the closing section. The closing tension is adjustable using allan screws so that wear on the seals can be compensated for.
Next post will detail the more routine winterisation technical topics.
The canal adjacent to Lefkas marina has a long history, the original one built by the Corinthians around
700 BC. Being of great strategic importance it was protected by several castles and we took some time away from working on Envoy to visit the Santa Maura Castle protecting the canal’s northern approaches. Workmen were busily clearing and burning scrub within the castle walls, and the smoke haze and smell provided an eerie authentic atmosphere to the scene.
Looking down on the castle’s interior from the ramparts we were able to visualise an impression of how the castle may have originally functioned - supplies being moved in carts, guards checking people entering through the sturdy gates, the din of blacksmiths and the aroma of baking bread. There were so many old cannons lying around that many haven’t even been placed on display. Even one of these would qualify as a treasure in New Zealand.
Ruins of buildings inside Santa Maura Castle
Prison cell inside Santa Maura Castle
Narrow and shallow northern approaches to Lefkas Canal viewed from castle walls
Cannon with maker’s name clearly visible
Discarded cannons in castle car park
Ruins of bridge across the moat to main entrance
TECHNICAL
Great news is that our leaking diesel tank has been fixed and is now partly filled with 700 litres of diesel. The Sailand engineers had to cut away a section of the tank to give internal access, then welded a large plate over the area of the leak, and closed the hole in the tank with a welded patch.
Continuing from last blog with details of non-routine technical year-end projects:
Master Head: was not activating its supply of fresh water upon flushing. This was an easy fix – just a failed plug-in wiring connection to the solenoid which starts the fresh water pump.
Bilge pump: our back-up bilge pump has been working on manual but not automatic, and I wasn’t happy to leave Envoy in the water for the winter with this situation. The pump was removed and found to have a faulty water level sensor, which has been replaced.
Lugger engine injectors: although the Lugger has been running fine we decided to check the injectors for the first time since new ones were fitted in 2004. On removal they appeared to be quite carbonized and when checked by a specialist shop, were found to all need replacing. I guess that’s not bad for nine years.
Lugger engine valve clearances: again these have not been checked since 2004, but were found to need only very slight adjustment.
Lugger engine starter motor and solenoid: these had not been serviced since 2004 so we decided to get them checked. There hasn’t been any particular problem except that very occasionally the engine doesn’t start with the first turn of the key. I suspected this was a sticking solenoid. The motor was found to be in good condition and only needed a clean. The solenoid was also stripped and cleaned, and hopefully won’t stick any more.
Lugger engine cooling system hoses: the two main hoses were replaced last year, but there are two small hoses (about 100mm long) which haven’t been removed and checked for at least seven years, partly as they’re very difficult to access. Sailand checked them and are satisfied they’re OK.
Lugger engine diesel leaks: one slight leak was fixed from a fuel pipe coming from the injector pump. Our lift pump had a slight leak and was replaced with a new one.
Portholes: One of our bedroom portholes has been leaking in heavy spray or wind-driven rain. Sailand are going to re-silicone the exterior where the housing meets the hull and replace the rubber seals on the inside of the closing section. The closing tension is adjustable using allan screws so that wear on the seals can be compensated for.
Next post will detail the more routine winterisation technical topics.
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