Diesel progress and travel preparations marked today’s main events.
It is full-moon tonight and, as usual, my dreams always get more vivid and my sleep interrupted more frequently. Perhaps there’s a trace of werewolf somewhere in my bloodlines…
I woke up early and quickly went to work in my virtual office. Since very few people were working due to the national holiday (Heilige Drei Könige) in Germany the system was fast and I made a lot of progress.
The winds are strange today here in Portsmouth. Most of the time it is no wind, then a powerful catabatic gust comes through with over 20 knots for several minutes and whips up a good froth on the water, then the winds die down again. There are no clouds as signposts, as is usually the case.
Noon
I decided to use the Windows Clipchamp software to make a recording of my engine and he wildly fluctuating RPMs after it warms up. This will be presented to one of the online forums for VW TDI specialists in the hope that someone can give me an indication of what to look for next. The first attempt was a dismal failure; I’d selected to record the window with the VCDS software, but after 15 minutes of recording and commentary I found that the actual display is done in an other window so there was nothing at all to see!
The second attempt was better; I started the engine and revved to 1600RPM while it was still cold. This speed is sufficient for the turbocharger to kick in and should soon warm the engine. Once warm, it will fluctuate wildly and sometimes sound as if it were about to stall completely.
But the engine didn’t do that. It ran at that speed and once warm only fluctuated by 200RPM or so. Nothing even close to the issues I’d been seeing so far. Four possibilities come to mind:
- My removing, cleaning and replacing the cut-off valve changed something.
- Adding the STP cleaner to the fuel helped loosen some clog.
- Not letting the engine come to temperature at idle, but starting at higher RPMs makes a difference.
- Gremlins.
Afternoon
Regardless of what happens, I need to get moving towards the north. The diesel progress has been made and my travel preparations are progressing. I’ve put the engine back together and made it ready for passage. The weather for the next couple of days looks good, with lighter trades and less swell. I will make the trip towards St. Martin in day sails, starting in the morning and anchoring well before sunset. That will give me time to settle down and have a sundowner upon arrival!
I took a quick run ashore to the local small grocery store to get some bread and garlic (for yummy BBQ buttered garlic bread). The diver who is going to do the bottom cleaning is supposed to arrive sometime in the early afternoon. I need to be aboard when he arrives. in order to negotiate a price before he does the work. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way with past experiences.
Sundowners
No diver, so I went ashore for a sandwich and libation. It was very quiet – I wonder where all the cruisers are hiding? Back aboard I worked on preparing Zanshin for tomorrow’s passage.