Round Britain for the RNLI Blog

The stitching that secures the zip on the top section of the awning where the side zips on is coming apart slightly. This is really the first problem with the boat in any respect so far and it is such a small one that I did think about not mentioning it but in the spirit of keeping you all informed I have.

It isn’t really a big deal. I can survive very happily as it is and providing it doesn’t get significantly worse I will wait until my return to get it fixed. If it gets worse though I will mention it and might need to find a sailmaker or sprayhood maker to do a running repair.

On the last leg I was struck by how interesting some of the information on my chartplotter was and so I thought I would show you a little more of what information I have at my disposal when at sea.

Firstly here is a pic of the chartplotter when I was on the west side of Jura/Lunga yesterday…

Apart from the chart information there are 3 distinct areas of information… top left, top right and finally all the info at the bottom.

Top left

There are two numbers…
- the top number is the GPS speed. Currently showing 18.4kts. I do not have a log and so this is my only way to determine speed and it always shows speed over ground (SOG).
- the bottom number is the battery voltage. Currently showing 14.9v. I use that mainly in port to determine the state of my battery charge but it is useful at sea to determine if the alternator is working.

Top Right

This is the depth from my sonar sensor which is mounted on the transom. Currently showing 143m! The Lowrance LMS-332 is also a fishfinder and so it is useful to determine bottom composition which can give a hint to how good anchor holding might be. It is useful for finding fish too!

Bottom

This is probably where my system differs from most chartplotters. My Suzuki DF115 engine has a NMEA2000 data link to the chartplotter and it can display many engine related data and it is from the engine that the data items on the bottom are sourced. All of this data is fuel related. I will run through each item in turn and explain how I use them when at sea. Hopefully you will see how useful this info is to me on this event.

There are 5 data items… two bottom left, two bottom right and one bottom middle.

Bottom Left

- The top number is the fuel flow at that exact moment in litres per hour. Currently showing 18.6 ltrs/hour.
- The bottom number is fuel used since the last reset. Currently showing 28.18 ltrs. I always reset the fuel stats prior to leaving port so this shows fuel used on this leg.

Bottom Middle

This number is calculated by the system. Currently showing 71.78 ltrs. Prior to leaving port I enter into the system the number of litres of fuel on board. The system knows how much fuel has been used (from bottom left) and it simply subtracts that and displays here fuel remaining. I use this as a cross-check against the normal fuel gauge to double check the current fuel remaining.

Bottom Right

This is the section that I find most useful when at sea…

- The top number shows the fuel usage in miles per litre. Currently showing 0.98 nm/ltr. It calculates that from the fuel currently used (from bottom left) and the speed over ground (from top left). It really shows me how efficient the engine is at that moment. Typical readings here are 1.0 when planing in smooth water down to 0.6 when running in rougher water. It can read 0.3 just before getting onto the plane and I did see 5.0 yesterday when on tickover but still doing 7kts downtide! I aim to keep this number between 0.7 and 1.0 and that means that I will be using fuel between the best and worse case scenarios that I have planned for.
- The bottom number shows my range in miles at the current rate of use and with the current fuel remaining. Currently showing 70.3 nm. This is a great number. It shows me how far I can go given the current usage of fuel… which means current conditions, current engine rpm, current speed etc. Basically, it tells me that if nothing changes then that is how far I will go before I run out of fuel completely. Obviously I do not plan on running out of fuel and I always want this number to be well above the distance to my destination. How do I know my distance to my destination? Well that is on my navigation screen and I will explain that in another blog entry later in the trip.

Summary

Having this amount of fuel usage and range information at a glance is an absolute must for me when going on extended trips. Many RNLI callouts are a result of vessels running out of fuel and to ensure that you don’t run out you need proper planning before leaving port, up to date and accurate information when at sea that is constantly monitored and used properly so that if it looks like there may be a fuel problem then some action can be taken to ensure that you don’t actually run out - such as slow down which can often save fuel or even divert to a closer port.

I hope you have found this post interesting. Please comment and let me know.

When I get the chance I will do a blog on the navigation page on the plotter.

The lives of three fishermen have been saved thanks to the RNLI’s new and unique MOB Guardian man overboard and vessel locater alert system. This is the first time that the system has demonstrated its full effectiveness in helping to save lives in a real emergency situation.

I have MOB Guardian system on Stargate and I am making it available to anyone who wants to look at the installation and discuss how the system is operated. Please just see me in port, contact me in port of contact the RNLI to arrange a viewing. I will be delighted to show you the system.

Read about the incident here

In my case it is the prop that is on the engine!

For the first 3 legs I used a 21" pitch propeller. For those that don’t know what that means it means that when the propeller rotates one full rotation the it moves forward through the water 21". In reality that isn’t quite true as there is slip and other aspects that make it slightly less than that but it is a gauge that tells you how coarse or fine the propeller is. Finer pitch propellers, that is propellers that have lower numbers and move less through the water for a full turn, are better at acceleration and less good at top speed (like a low gear in a car) and coarser pitches, higher numbers, are better at top speed and less good at acceleration.

I did some fuel runs prior to departure that suggested that the better prop for this trip would be a coarser one so I fitted the coarser of the two I have… the 21". As it is turning out, this may not be the best choice. I am finding that the sea is much more lumpy than when I did the tests and that is meaning that I am having to slow down and speed up much more than on the test which was done at a steady speed. For speeding up I need a lower pitch propeller and so I have changed it over today to the 19" one I have as a spare. The 21" will now become the spare.

I will see how it goes and report back when I get in to Pwllheli.

Now I have refueled ready for the next leg I have had a chance to see just how accurate the fuel flow sensor is. The sensor said I used 89.8 ltrs from Plymouth to Newlyn… it actually took 91 ltrs!!! Now that is more than accurate enough for me.

If you don’t have a fuel flow sensor on your boat I really do highly recommend it. You can make informed decisions on when to throttle back and also get accurate range/duration figures and if you don’t have a chartplotter that will display the data then there are some very smart display devices, such as the Garmin GDI10, that will show you all this data in a very neat, sunlight readable, unit.

I wouldn’t have a motor boat without it now.

It is always the same isn’t it… things work until you need them! I have been using this laptop for weeks now in preparation for the trip and I go away to Fowey to check that everything works, not expecting to have any issues with the laptop, and there you go… laptop not working

I thought it might be power supply but that is now fixed but it looks like there might be a loose wire in the connection of the screen to the body. Well, both Sally and I are both computer consultants and so we should have it under control soon but if it need parts then I may have to try to scrounge a laptop from somewhere for at least part of the trip.

Still, I won’t panic until I need to so more when it is all sorted (he says hopefully)…

The rest of the shakedown went well. A few issues came to light but nothing serious but that is precisely what the shakedown was meant to do!

One issue that did arise that you night be interested in was that with all the extra weight on board the fuel consumption was down about 25%… from 1 ltr/nm to 1.25 ltr/nm. This is a significant amount but I have already replanned the legs with the new figures and I already had so much more fuel than I needed that even with the new figures I am still well within the recommendation of having an extra 25%. Never the less, worth remembering for the future that it makes so much difference.

Yes, it is all done and the boat is ready to go.

Next is to load it up with the stuff I am taking… and that will take a couple of days! So, next two days is loading and then I will see where I stand with weather for a test run perhaps on Thursday.

I hate antifouling! I am sure that most people do but it is one of those things that just has to be done so I just get on with it. It is now 1/2 done and tomorrow evening the boat will be lifting and held overnight for me to do the rest. She is looking rather smart with the new antifoul, waxed hull and anti-rained windows! I shall post some photos on Tuesday.

The aim this week is to get the boat ready by Thursday for a Saturday departure. I shall then do a final test run with a stop overnight Thursday returning Friday. If all is well then I depart Saturday weather permitting.

At the moment the weather is looking like a F3-4 but with a bit of a sea so at this stage it is not at all certain that I will actually leave Saturday. I will certainly keep you informed of things as I decide.

Yesterday Sally and I took a trip to Poole, Dorset, to visit the RNLI College. The purpose of the trip was for us to meet many of the people that are involved with the trip especially the MOB Guardian people and to see the MOB Guardian Control Room and to speak to the controllers so I can get a clear understanding of how the system works.

We had a very interesting day. The New MOB Guardian Control Room is very state-of-the-art and after talking to the controllers we came away with several points…

• It was a clear indication of how seriously the RNLI is taking MOB Guardian.
• MOB Guardian is a 24/7/365 monitored system and that is a great comfort to anyone using the system… that someone is there should you need them at ANY TIME.
• The position data is kept confidential. Not even the controllers can see the position of a boat except in an emergency. The RNLI take position data confidentiality very seriously indeed.
• At just 70p per day it is GREAT value for money to any fisherman knowing that if he has a serious problem at sea (injured and incapacitated, goes overboard etc) then literally within minutes help will be on the way.
• Although developed primarily for the fishing industry it is a great system to have on a leisure boat and it is available for leisure boaters too.

I was totally convinced of the benefit of MOB Guardian to the small boat fisherman but now I have seen the control room and spoken to the operators and seen the commitment that the RNLI is making I am even more enthusiastic to show people the system on my boat as I go round Britain. So if you want to visit me when I at a port near you just get in touch with the Fishing Safety team at the RNLI and they will put you in touch with my… or just drop in when I am in port - I would be very pleased to see you.

When I refitted the awning back onto the boat after its trip to Lostwithiel to have the engines services I noticed that some of the stitching on the awning was coming unstitched! I had visions of having to delay the start because I couldn’t get the awning sewn back. However, nothing quite so dramatic because the guys at SlikCut in Plymouth stitched it back together without anything of a fuss. Thank you to SlikCut.

If you need any awning or canvas work done I can not recommend SlikCut more highly and having used them several times before I can say that they are professional, friendly, helpful and give excellent service and value.