Key West - Boat cleaning, boat chores, etc.

Schooner's is still there, going strong

The first priority was to get everything ship-shape. A  boat wash down was in order as was laundry (there's no getting away from having to do the laundry). And, of course, we needed a pump-out which is included in the dock fees. Now at least the boat look presentable (still not Sharman clean but then who can do that besides Sharman??)

I called McDonnell Marine in Connecticut for advice on my higher than normal coolant temperature. As background, Brian of McDonnell Marine did the original warranty work on my engine when I first bought the Beneteau 423 and has been a valuable source of information ever since. He was even hired by Volvo to do all their warranty work in the northeast and he runs the largest Volvo parts supply in the area. I explained the symptoms of the gradually increasing temperature and he asked whether I noticed more black smoke than normal - I said yes and he immediately suspected the exhaust elbow. Coolant water is injected into the exhaust elbow through relatively small holes to cool the exhaust gases before being vented overboard. The coolant holes can clog over time with debris, corrosion byproducts, etc. The gradual increase in operating temperature fits that scenario exactly.

Hoolie  meets lots of friends!

Getting on the web I saw several articles describing my problem in detail and were all related to corrosion in the exhaust elbow. The gradual increase in operating temperature was a fit to an exhaust elbow gradually being clogged with debris. Most should be replaced or at least inspected every four years and ours had lasted 9 years! It's time for a replacement even if it's not the cause - although it certainly sounds like the source of the problem. So on Tuesday I will be ordering the new elbow and hopefully install it later this week followed by a sea trial to see it that fixed the problem.

My wonderful cook

The wind has really come up at Key West with 20 to 30 kt winds! There has still been no rain except for a few sprinkles. We're lucky that we watched the weather and made the passage before the surge in winds. At our dock, we're very secure and tied off so nothing touches and there is very little surge action since we're so far into the harbor. There are quite a few boats anchored out by the nearest island and they have to dink in across the channel with these winds - most are in full rain gear - not because of rain but due to the waves. We're happy to be here! Ann prepared a dinner of Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna with a soy and teriyaki sauce along with fried confetti corn (bacon slices, bell peppers, cream cheese, onion, etc.) and whole grain medley rice for a great meal - lucky me!