M/V MAERIN

OK, so this has not been much of a cruising blog since May. Not what we planned, in fact nothing this summer had much to do with planning, and after the first three weeks of May slid by, we just gave up on planning and determined that we’d simply go with the flow. The situation with parents has become more stable, to the extent that we plan – there’s that word, again! – to resume some cruising. We’ll see if we can get Maerin free of the dock!

Some last minute tasks to address at the dirt house, loose ends to tie up with parent management, and a bit of outpatient work for the captain, and we will be slipping the lines. Signs point to “Black Friday” as our most likely departure after a Thanksgiving visit with family. Still some variables that could delay that date by a few days, and there’s always the weather, –weather has to be pretty crappy to preclude travel in the Upper Bay! But we’re anxiously anticipating being back on the water again, and will likely make a quick dash for points south once we get underway, especially if the weather turns cold!

In the interim, I’ve been doing a few more maintenance projects, most recently worked on the genset, removing the injectors and having them cleaned and calibrated at Arundel Diesel Performance in Severn, MD (near Annapolis) . Very reasonable and quick. The injectors were fine, and while they were removed I adjusted the valves, and cleaned up the head of the motor. The previous owner neglected any minor maintenance issues, one of which was a small leak in the vented loop of the genset exhaust that dribbled seawater across the head of the engine. No major consequences, but that sort of thing should never be left unchecked. I had corrected the underlying problem within weeks of taking ownership, and now was a good opportunity to improve the cosmetics. Some cleaning and a bit of paint and things look like they’re properly maintained again. The genset runs a little smoother, starts quicker, and is ready for the workout it will likely get keeping us warm on those really cold nights in the next few weeks!

The exhaust mixer that had become a problem to resolve has finally been crossed off the list. A third FedEx trip to Ft. Lauderdale for a potential leak problem, and addition of an auxiliary injector nozzle assembly just downstream of the mixer has corrected the exhaust temperature problems. Temps are now running around 100F at cruise rpms, and at low speeds well within acceptable limits below 150F and running much lower than with the OEM mixer (that typically ran at 160F cruise and just under 215F slow speed). That was the objective of the change out, and now has been achieved. A frustrating exercise, this summer has been the ideal circumstance to finally resolve the problem. Little else remains that must be completed prior to leaving, we’ve had opportunity to shake down the work completed this summer, and all seems to be working as anticipated- all, of course subject to change under the rigors of daily cruising! It’s mechanical- it’s not a matter of if, but when!!

Blog postings will follow our departure!  If you’re reading, drop a comment! Feedback is blog fertilizer. 🙂