Gypsy has left the moorage, 9/12/16

When we left you last time things looked bleak. The engine would not start and we were flying off to Minneapolis. Some of you may have thought, oh no, they won’t return, not with the Maul of America to tempt them. Well we’re back, and we got Gypsy to start, and we left the dock!!!!! Yes, we solved the wiring problem, and the Maul did not win.

Note, if you have starter problems, just replace the engine wiring harness with new marine wire of a larger gauge. Our Yanmar’s wiring harness is made of untinned wire and lots of plain brass connections. We ran new 10 gauge marine wire to and from the starter solenoid and that did the trick: the engine started. We did not trust the engine to start so we tested it several times. Then we left the dock.

When you don’t sail your boat for two years and then change lots of stuff you are in for a surprise when you do. It is a new boat and you have to learn how the boat will respond. Troubleshooting is much more complex.  Nothing is quite the same as it was. Well, we were rusty, but we got out and raised the main and the jib, and then reefed the main. We had fluky winds and we got healed over enough to almost toss the tools around down below. As you gather, we got to try out the boat a bit and we got to hear the lovely sound of water rushing by the hull. We then brought Gypsy back to her slip without adding a scratch. This is the important part with a new paint job.  So we aren’t too rusty.

We went home feeling proud and knowing that we had plenty more to do yet, so sailing will still have to take a back seat to progress.  But at least we can still go out for a quick sail now and again before putting the noses back to the boat grindstone.