Safe and now dry……

As the first order of business, I tell every new crew on my boat that there are five holes in the bottom, where they are, and what to do if one leaks.  Good practical information it seems, given the past weekend’s experience. Fortunately this was not the costly option…….

When opening the valve to drain the galley sinks, the handle came off in my hand and a small but steady stream of creek water began running into the bilge. After a scramble for a plug and tape to hold off the worst, a call to Diversified Marine Services brought prompt attention. [kudus for DMS!] We secured the leak, and the technician came back in the morning to replace the valve – now that was an interesting process with the boat in the water.

First, remove the valve and there’s a 1 inch hole. May not seem very large, but that creates a geyser about 1 foot high until the new valve is in place ( a several gals/min rate). Then, in order to turn the new valve onto the thru hull fitting, the handle must be opened to clear adjacent equipment. So, with every turn, the valve is opened again with another temporary geyser.

The good news is the new valve is in place and the 6 or so gallons of water that remained in the bilge got pumped out and all dried out.  Of pure coincidence, the sail that was scheduled was cancelled for lack of wind. I’d hate to think I’ve used up my allotment of good luck all in one weekend 🙂 Incidentally, the technician suggested hauling (see pic above) should this happen again! 

Stay tuned, next sail is in two weeks to the Wye River for the weekend ….