To Kiel

Brunsbuttel

May

May arrived all too quickly. Originally, I had planned to fly to Hamburg on May 2, but because buying the food wasn’t entirely successful,

I made an early departure one day earlier. I flew to Hamburg in the morning and rented a car for a couple of days, because otherwise buying food and drinks wouldn’t succeed, I drove around Wedel and its Grocery Stores. I returned the car to Hamburg Airport on the evening of the 2nd day and returned with Olav back to the port. Olav stayed on the bow spike on the same bunk where he had always slept. I picked a bunk from the owner’s cabin.

3. of May

At Ariadne, we disembarked from the pier after breakfast at around 9, crewed by me and Olav. The route plan was to get to Kiel by next day, 4. of may. The night was to stay in Rendsburg on the Kiel Canal. That would be the better side trip to the mid and ehtisimme Kiel at around noon. We turned the bow on the river Elbe towards the Kiel canal, which would take about three hours. We drove the plane for twenty minutes after which Olav said that from somewhere there will be water in the engine compartment that will fly in every direction. Well ….. After a brief investigation, I located a leak in the seawater pump shaft seal. As a quick assessment, I found that that pump does not run the Kiel canal from end to end. Goddamit !! Where do the spare parts for the pump or the new pump? Olav shouted at a friend, his son, and patted him to pick up a spare parts store from somewhere nearby. Not found. I took a short inch break when Olav sailed - for the last time - towards Ariadne towards the beginning of the Kiel Canal. Judging by the noise, a great fly. New pump, but where ……. I have a gear pump for transferring ………. according to the manual it seems to also pump water …….. what if you install this as a seawater pump .. …. no hose fits anywhere ……… here are hose snippets ……… hoses nested so fit ….. nothing more than chores. I screwed the electric pump on and pulled on the electricity and even the switch. At a brisk pace, I tuned the hoses in place, quite successfully as no joints leaked. I got up from the bilge that would become familiar during the trip home and asked how much time we have left. Olav answered for 10 minutes and showed in front of him the looming closure of the Kiel Canal. Oolrait, let’s start the machine and see if it works. Yep, it plays well, even though the pump makes its own noise; well, at least know that the pump is running. We lowered the sails and waited for the traffic lights at the locks. In addition, a few other boats were waiting in front of the lock. It took a surprising amount of time, a couple of hours, the wheels in front of the lock and the fairytale rattled matter-of-factly and the cooling played.

The lights finally changed and we drove to the shutdown. We moored to the edge of the lock after the other boats. The water level stopped rising and after less than 10 minutes the gates of the locks opened at one end, we detached. We drove out of the lock. After a while, Olav added rpm on the engine as the planned overnight stay was still six to seven hours away. Beers open and cheers, that’s where it starts. No way, suddenly there was a hell of a  kind of high metallic sounds, rattle, and then silence.

The situation is this: the machine turned off loudly, the value of the noise sounded like 10,000 euros, had the connecting rod come through the block ?? We were in the Kiel canal, a bit cramped, ships come and go and Rivakka headwind did not ease the situation either.

Genoa open, dont want to be adrift. There seemed to be a depot on the edge of the canal and a small pier suitable for mooring. Nothing but there. After a little adjustment, we docked at the dock, cramped when it was. Olav went to feel the neighborhood if there was a motorbike and also to find out what kind of marina it was next to the lock. Personally, I was thinking about a new engine, a repair of an old engine that would take a few weeks, and the day after tomorrow when the guys were coming to Kiel. Niina sent a text message and asked if Aimo needed to bring anything other than a ticket. I replied that the new engine would be bueno. To do something, I started removing the old seawater pump from the engine. On top of that, the engine looked intact. The seawater pump at the end of the crankshaft was, of course, tightly bolted. The crankshaft also seemed to be totally stuck, - doesn’t look good - what’s all there is to the engine in pieces? I started to remove the three bolts from the pump body but they were really tight. Instead, the pump strut detached into the motor body surprisingly lightly. I continued to twist the three mounting bolts and the crankshaft moved! A little more torque on the ratchet and the crankshaft turned more! In addition, a metal serpentine loomed between the pump body and its shaft ….. could it be …… ………. I got the pump body so moved that a few bearing balls fell from the pump. After all, the bearing is quite dead. I dug out the rest of the bearing parts and, by stretching the charger belt, made the crankshaft move.

Almost working seawater pump

After all, this is not exactly just one piece of scrap steel. The compression seemed to be in place. I think I’ll try to start. Key to ignition, glow, start and the machine ran! The reason for the seemingly expensive noise was the seawater pump bearing that had cut it shut. And because the pump shaft was an extension of the crankshaft, it had managed to stop the entire engine. Olavkin had come back and said that there would be room in the port of Brunsbuttel, which is in the canal immediately after the closure. Ropes were loosened and in a brisk headwind we headed towards the harbor, which was originally small. The original plan for the stern buoy turned into a side park as I began to slow down and Ariadne began to turn, apparently by chance, in the right direction. The side parking went well and the machine was fine. GDs and beers and after that we went to eat. Since we were at the beginning of the Kiel Canal, the next day would be just over 60 miles, a very long day trip in the headwind to be folded by plane. So at early to ring.

Early morning in Brunsbuttel.

4. of May

We left the port of Brunsbuttel early in the morning at 06.00 towards Kiel. The trip was just as boring as Hartwig’s second son, Hillmar had told. The first few hours went well and the trip folded at a speed of about 5.5 knots. When the engine first dropped, I thought it was an isolated incident, probably air somewhere in a fuel line bend. The second time I was already glancing at the tachometer, but I didn’t notice anything in it. For the third time, the revs already dropped enough to be detected on the tachometer. What now? Olav shrugged. Nothing but to continue the journey. The decrease in revolutions became constant every 20-30 minutes and lasted about a minute. Some times the rounds dropped so much that I was already starting to watch the panic rise. It is somewhat impossible in the Kiel Canal unless it just happens to be at the ship’s waiting area or at the ferry. Otherwise, the edges of the canal are sloping. After all, we got to Kiel with honor, although it was already past six in the evening. We docked in the strong northeast wind to the port of Kiel Yacht Club. Olav packed his backpack and left for home, and I was left wondering by Tapani. The task would be enough, the first thought was to secure the supply of the loaf, ie to install that day tank as the original plan had been. Guys arrive tomorrow, can I do / manage to do anything here? In short: no. Evening beer or two and sleep.

5. of May

I woke up and cranked myself into the shower. All the guys were coming on the same flight and on the same taxi ride. Friday’s weather was saturated with light rain and the temperature was cool +5 C. There would be a few things on the to-do list that should be done with honor so that the bow of the Ariadne could point north.

But most importantly; Ariadne was in Kiel and luckily it was not snowing.

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