The last few days I have been onboard our Koopmans 45 Sunday Island doing some winter maintenance before we move onboard again in April.

I found Sunday Island clean and dry. The epoxy coating I had painted in the bilges was holding up very well. It was fantastic to be back onboard again.

For big jobs I find it a lot easier to work onboard alone, where I can make a mess, have floor boards up and covers off etc. I can also leave parts and tools laid out without them being picked up and dropped in the bilge by the kids. As much as I love my family a 6 hour job can turn into a 6 day job, and some jobs – like re building a fuel pump need to be completed in one sitting snd can be quite messy!

Parts and tools everywhere

This weeks jobs included removing and rebuilding the CAV fuel injection pump on our Perkins 4236 engine. The two top seals were leaking in the injection pump, but rather risk dropping bits in the bilge I marked the pump, noted the timing, snd removed the pump so I could do a full rebuild with new seals. While the pump was off I thought it best to replace all the seals as this job normally needs completing every ten years or so when the seals get hard.

You can’t just call a mechanic when you mid ocean, so I think it’s important for a skipper to know how everything onboard works and have the confidence to complete ones own repairs thus being self sufficient.

Rebuilding a CAV injection pump turned out to be quite a job, starting at 10am, I had the pump off by 12, rebuilt by 4pm, and back on the engine at 6pm. But, at 2230 I still could not get the engine primed!

Working on CAV injection pump on Nav station

Finally I went to bed, waking up through the night wondering if I got the timing right, and fuel lines in the right order, or check stop mechanism around the correct way.

The next morning I woke up, refreshed but bloody cold. I continued to prime the Perkins but could not build pressure. Finally I cranked the engine over in short bursts gradually working my way through the system to bleed the air out. With each crank I held my breath that I would have enough battery power. Finally on the third crank the Perkins roared to life, running smoother than ever before. My prayers had been answered snd confidence restored.

Other jobs completed ready for the summer included fitting a gas alarm and remote solenoid shutoff, fitting the 300W inverter so Emilie can use her beloved blender, checking all the bilges and a final super clean.

Rivers running strong in France

The French canals this time of year are not ideal for cruising. It is so cold the olive oil has hardened, and there was ice on deck. This morning my car door was frozen shut! France was very beautiful however, with the rivers running strong. I was very glad to have the Webasto diesel heater to keep me cosy.

We look forward to moving onboard full time in April when the olive oil resumes its liquid form. For now Sunday Island is resting peacefully in the canal.