Summer in Baltimore - 2017
Aug 13 thru Aug 18
--Blogpost written by Bob
This is our last week in Baltimore before our two-week haulout for annual maintenance. I'm trying to wrap up a few small projects this week. Rather than make this blogpost a day-by-day running commentary on this week, I have simply pulled together some of the happenings for the week.
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| Maggie thought that our navigation station needed a little more whimsy. |
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The latest information concerning our malfunctioning outboard motor comes from my research into the fuel I used. I purchased aviation gasoline (at $5 per gallon) from Lee Airport in Annapolis before we left for the Bahamas last year because it was a convenient source of ethanol-free gasoline. Lots of others were obtaining gasoline from Lee airport for use in lawn mowers, chainsaws, and boat motors. I didn't know then that the gasoline was called "100 LL"-- the "100" is the octane level (calculated differently for aircraft) and the "LL" stands for low-lead. The "low lead" designation is a comparison to prior aviation gas--it actually contains 0.5 grams of lead per liter of fuel. (Lead is formulated in the fuel to increase the resistance against detonation inside the engine during combustion. It was removed from most gasoline due to environmental concerns in the late 80's.) Pre-1986 automotive gasoline contained 0.15 grams of lead per liter of fuel. Consequently, the "100 LL" avgas contains more than 3 times the lead of older automotive gasoline!
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An excerpt from the Yamaha operating manual. I used 7.5 gallons of leaded gasoline by mistake and I have a "seriously damaged" outboard engine. |
Besides the expense of repairing my outboard engine, I now have to dispose of the remaining 7.5 gallons of avgas somehow. I talked to Hartge's Yacht Yard about them using it in some of their equipment and this looks promising.
I stopped in to check on the progress on my engine on Wednesday, August 16, and the engine was all apart. The valve stems were clearly corroded (most likely from water, but it is unknown whether is was fresh water or salt water) and one of the ends was broken off and is still in the engine somewhere. One of the pistons was scored from the valve that had the bent valve stem. It doesn't look good at all.
We will know early next week, how much, if any, of the damage will be covered under the Yamaha 3-year warranty. In any case, we will probably move down to a 6 HP outboard because it is 26 pounds lighter and much easier for me to handle. I don't think we will miss the 4 HP difference on the dinghy. However, we will have to wait until the next blogpost for the final outcome...
Finally, tonight, Monday, August 14, I was able to get HF voice weather broadcasts! I programmed the five primary USCG weather frequencies into memory channels. I set my navigation station clock to UTC time so that I know when to search for the weather broadcasts and I have been checking the channels on and off all weekend. I was able to get the offshore weather forecast on three of the five channels, 601, 816, and 1205 between about 2145 and 2230 UTC (about 5:45 to 6:30 PM Eastern Time) out of Norfolk, VA.
Previously, I watched a YouTube video on how to tune in the USCG weather forecasts and the video advised to tune the receiver to 1.9 kHz lower than the carrier frequency but this proved to be incorrect. The best reception is right on the listed carrier frequency.
On Wednesday, August 16, Maggie and I went shotgun shooting. We shot a round of wobble trap and then a round of sporting clays. It has been over a year since we went shooting. It was a fun outing!
I stopped in to check on the progress on my engine on Wednesday, August 16, and the engine was all apart. The valve stems were clearly corroded (most likely from water, but it is unknown whether is was fresh water or salt water) and one of the ends was broken off and is still in the engine somewhere. One of the pistons was scored from the valve that had the bent valve stem. It doesn't look good at all.
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| The top of the pistons are shaped to provide clearance from the valves--the shapes look like little smiley faces. However, the one on the lower right of this image was dented by the valve that had the bent stem and the broken end. |
We will know early next week, how much, if any, of the damage will be covered under the Yamaha 3-year warranty. In any case, we will probably move down to a 6 HP outboard because it is 26 pounds lighter and much easier for me to handle. I don't think we will miss the 4 HP difference on the dinghy. However, we will have to wait until the next blogpost for the final outcome...
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Finally, tonight, Monday, August 14, I was able to get HF voice weather broadcasts! I programmed the five primary USCG weather frequencies into memory channels. I set my navigation station clock to UTC time so that I know when to search for the weather broadcasts and I have been checking the channels on and off all weekend. I was able to get the offshore weather forecast on three of the five channels, 601, 816, and 1205 between about 2145 and 2230 UTC (about 5:45 to 6:30 PM Eastern Time) out of Norfolk, VA.
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| The HF receiver is shown here tuned to the weather broadcast on Channel 601. The broadcasts are on upper sideband (USB). |
Previously, I watched a YouTube video on how to tune in the USCG weather forecasts and the video advised to tune the receiver to 1.9 kHz lower than the carrier frequency but this proved to be incorrect. The best reception is right on the listed carrier frequency.
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| The offshore weather forecast I listened to was the one (2130Z) on the middle line and the fifth time column to the right of the frequency column. |
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On Wednesday, August 16, Maggie and I went shotgun shooting. We shot a round of wobble trap and then a round of sporting clays. It has been over a year since we went shooting. It was a fun outing!
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| This morning, I shot my 20 gauge side-by-side double barrel shotgun. It is a little tougher hitting sporting clays with a smaller gauge shotgun but I think it is more fun. (My fuzzy head is part of my current makeover.) |
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| The reflections from the water early in the morning are spectacular! |
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Our next blogpost will cover our trip to Galesville (from Baltimore) and the first several days of our haulout, as well as the final outcome on our broken outboard engine. Stay tuned...
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