Of Engine Rooms and Alternator Belts

Throughout this season I have been reminded of the interconnected nature of a boat’s infrastructure.  There’s the electrical system, and the water lines, and the power plant.  You have engines.  You have batteries.  You have pumps for your plumbing.  And in our case, we also have a water maker.   You can’t run the water pump or the water maker unless you have electricity from the battery.  And on most boats you charge the battery when you run the engine.  The engines have alternators connected by a belt, as on an automobile.  If the belt isn’t tight enough, the alternator won’t turn fast enough and you won’t recharge your battery quickly enough and you’ll use more fuel.

Now our catamaran is not a fancy one.  It’s a production boat, built in South Africa, (not France, the home of the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world – Beneteau).  Our Robertson & Caine could be likened to a Ford or Chevy  (one friend upgraded it to a Buick).   It’s pretty basic.  We don’t have an inboard generator to run air conditioning.  We don’t have fancy electronics like radar. 

But we do have two engines and we have four ways we can re-charge the batteries:  We can plug into shore power (haven’t done that once this season because we don’t visit the dock).  We have four solar panels which work great…when the sun is shining.   We have a portable gasoline generator that helps out on cloudy days.  But the primary way we charge the batteries are the two engine alternators.

Each morning, I check both engines.  I use the WOBL acronym to walk through the check.  W- for water.  Is there water in the engine room?   Is the lid on the raw water filter tight, keeping the necessary vacuum seal so that the sea water will flow properly to keep the engine cool?   O-for oil.  Is the oil at full level?  Does it need to be topped off?  B-for belt.  There’s that alternator belt.   Is the belt tight?  If you can turn the alternator flywheel with your hand, then it’s too loose.  L-for Electrical (‘Lectrical).  Are there any wires loose?  Has anything become disconnected from yesterday’s outing?  WOBL.

Every day, I check the alternator belt, because that’s the major way we keep the batteries powered. 

So, here’s the thing.  I’m not a mechanic.  I can do some plumbing.  I can do a bit of rudimentary electrical work.  Both my parents were violinists who were very hesitant to do anything that would damage the old fingers.  And like the perennial apple, I didn’t fall very far from the violin tree.  Through the years of owning other boats that had alternators, I’ve tried to learn how to do this.  I’ve paid mechanics to service the engine and watch while he tightens the belts.  I’ve even paid one or two to teach me.  I write down some notes, I feel around for the bolts to loosen and the belt to tighten.  And with two engines now, I’ve even tried the “you do one belt and I’ll do the other” method.  It’s worse than the Greek and Hebrew I tried to learn in seminary.  This mechanical exercise has been to no avail.

Until today!

Two weeks ago I hosted a father/son for a week of sailing.  They are both sailors, and car and boat mechanics (they actually drive cars in demolition derbies!).  By the end of the week, they announced that before they would leave, they wanted to change the belt to a slightly smaller size to see if that helped.  They did a great job, and the smaller belt has helped….for about two weeks.

Since their departure I’ve been continuing to check the alternator belts and noticed, about three days ago, that it has been getting easier to turn the flywheel.  Yesterday afternoon, we left the marina, and all their readily available helpers.  Went to a favorite anchorage, spent the night, and this morning when I checked the engines, I realized the belt was now too loose. 

It was carpe diem time.

I was nervous.  I was anxious.  The rain clouds and winds had built.  I needed to work quickly.  I removed the cover over the belt.   Then, old fumble fingers dropped a ratchet (size 13mm) into the center of the engine with all those tubes and wires.  Marney found it.  And just as we were about to continue, it started pouring.  We closed the cover, went inside and waited.  Twenty minutes later there was a pause and….I squeezed into the engine room; Marney handed me tools. I loosened this, pried that, remembered the right sequence.  And by golly, I did it!  Now, this isn’t much on the Accomplishments-in-Life List.  And I’m not going to go out and buy the “I can tighten an alternator belt on my sailboat” T-shirt, just yet. 

But it’s made for a great day.  And it wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t taken off on this little adventure!

Further reflection:  I am reminded of how many of us follow vocations where the tangible results are hard to see.  It’s true for ministry.  It’s true in teaching.  It’s true in social work.  And I suspect in most careers, there’s a bit of truth here.   Sometimes you simply have no idea whether your presence, your counsel, your gifts made any difference to another person or to the committee or team.  Trust and patience are clearly important to live in a world of intangibles.   So, I suspect we all do some things – hobbies, clubs, volunteer service, woodworking, singing, photography, camping, sailing(?) – because they offer something tangible to rest a hat on.   

While sailing has given me many gifts, today it was a tangible one.  I’m not minding how all-consuming a boat is, or how fully focused you have to be to live on one.  And I’ve gained a bit of confidence, and that’s worth an “Amen.” 

Fair winds

Calm seas

Dave

PS.  And I’ll let you know if the old belt survives the two-week test.  But if I have to tighten it again, I’ll be more ready today than I was yesterday!

PSS.  Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.      -- Mark Twain

Red Sky at Night...