The "Bukh" engine was retired

After 40 years of good service, The Bukh is sadly diagnosed with terminal illness, would probably take too much work to rescucitate, let alone out limited time before the charter time and $. After carefully labelling every wire and pipe, disconnected the alternators, drained the oil, it was lifted out of its burrow (well engine room) by the way of block and tackle. Thanks to careful thinking from the boat builder Steffen: The steel frame above the engine room was originally threaded to hook large blocks and the engine lifted straight up!

Spinnaker

On a more joyful touch , got to run the MPS before running out of wind in the Hydrographer's passage and using the donk for 16 hours (which killed it!)

Diagnosing the engine

Water in the oil is never a good look, so have to systematically logically track out where it comes from before continuing on. The whole engine thing is a bit abstract but getting to know it pretty well pretty quickly!

- can have come back up in the exhaust while we were pitching

- or it could be  a head gasket

- or it could be the o-ring at the bottom of the cylinder sleeve

all bloody black box hidden things that would require taking the engine apart... scary. So for now, doing an engine flush with low grade engine oil (it capture the impurities left by the oil mixed with water, white thick sticky gunk). Changed the oil twice, run the engine for 30 minute, change the oil again. Check if all's is clean... I am writing this as I am listening to the engine, checking if it's happy...

Next, not too sure yet so better keep smiling!!

March 30th in townsville bloody marina

Position 4pm:
S 18º43.5
E 148º37.3'
15 knots winds increasing

On way to Townsville, weirdly enough via the OUTSIDE of the GBR! Great ride
downwind once the wind started (went from a 50 knots storm yesterday to nil this
morning but SE have pickep up again pushing Kuna at 6 knots along the 250 miles
ride to Towsville. The idea of tacking ones way through the Hydrographers
passage to cross the barrier reef (passage to get to Mackay) at night in high
winds was rather unpleasant, as large ships also manoeuver in this narrow
passage. While the Kuna was poorly heaving to near the pilot boarding station
(pilots get dropped by helicopter outside the GBR to guide the ships in) we
heard the russian captain records of winds speeds 45 to 55 knots, prior to the
helicopter landing!
After being quite tired by 12 hours of tring to stay stationary in the storm
yesterday, it felt much easier running to Townsville when the winds abated,
though it brings us westwards and 200 miles further from the Solomons, adding
200 more miles to the crossing!!

24 hours to go now. Spent most of the day cleaning the engine room from the oil
spilled and looking for cause of problem that will have to get fixed, changed
oil and tidied up the boat from the storm!

By the way, anyone has suggestions on how to COMPLETELY stop forward speed on a
fin keel Adams while heaving to ? First storm test didn't quite make it! Need to
dom some research

Cheers
fred

SMS from 881631641778@msg.iridium.com

SITREP MARCH 24 MARCH 29 S19"24.8 E150"43.2 BEEN HOV2 4 10HRS NOW, HIT 40+KNT WIND ON WAY BCK 2 MACKAY 4 ENGINE REPAIR :( ALL OK THOU

SMS from 881631641778@msg.iridium.com

SITREP MAR27 1PM S20"18.4 E149"17.9 BUGATTI RF MOTORING LGHT WINDS HOT!