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Visit from Yu-ching's Family - See Blog Photos 3August 30, 2006 While we were in Hong Kong at the Gold Coast Yacht Club Yu-ching’s sisters (Yu-Fong and Catherine) and two of her friends (Jessica and Joan) visited us. I’ve just received the photos that we took and have posted them to Alchemy’s Blog under “Blog Photos 3”. Still in Subic Bay - See Blog Photos 2August 19, 2006 Over the last few days we have been making minor repairs and improvements to Alchemy and riding the bikes we purchased in Hong Kong all around the bay. When we first brought her from China to Hong Kong we noticed a vibration when she was running at high RPM. This could be caused by a prop that was not installed properly, one that was out of balance or a misaligned shaft. We installed a new prop in Hong Kong, but that did not solve the problem, and in fact the vibration was more pronounced, so we reinstalled the original prop to make the trip to Subic Bay. Once in Subic we sent the second prop to a factory to have it balanced and trued. They tested the prop and found that it was in balance and true. This left us feeling that there must be a problem with the shaft alignment. Yesterday we took the boat out for a sea trial with a yacht surveyor so that he could check the alignment under load. He could not find any problems so we are now back to thinking that the yard in Hong Kong must have installed the props incorrectly. The shaft and the prop are tapered and these tapers need to match up perfectly. The yard that built Alchemy has ordered a third prop from Japan. We are now awaiting the delivery of this prop. When it arrives we will supervise its instillation to make sure the tapers align properly. This should solve the vibration problem. In addition to waiting for the arrival of the prop, we are also waiting for some other supplies from China. There are a few changes we want to make in the way the batteries are wired and the yard is sending us new cable and some other items. I don’t mean to sound like we are spending all of our time working on the boat. Yesterday was Subic Bay’s 1st Mardi Gras. The lead off event was a Gay Pride Parade. (See photos under Blog Photos 2) The US Navy and Coast Guard paid a visit to the Bay last week. While we were out cruising one day I managed to take a few pictures which I’m sure I was not suppose to do. Security was very tight around the ships so we could not get very close to them. In honor of their arrival, a number of vans full of girls came in from Manila to give the sailors something to do during their shore leave. The local watering holes raised their prices but still did a thriving business. Yu-ching has booked her flight to Subic Bay; she will be arriving on Sunday the 27th of August. Hopefully by then all of the parts will have arrived and we can begin the next leg of our journey. In plotting our course it appears that we can break it up in 50 mile legs, stopping at a harbor each evening, all the way to Thailand. The “Admiral” is not excited about making overnight passages so by doing it this way we may be able to keep her aboard for some time to come. Alchemy and her crew are much happier when the Admiral aboard. More later Summary - May 26, 2006 to August 14, 2006On May 26, 2006 we took delivery of USMY Alchemy. On that date we moved her from Zhu Hai, China (22º 15’ N., 113º 24’ E.) to Hong Kong with a brief stop in Macau. The trip, including the 2 hour stopover in Macau took 13 hours. We docked her at the Gold Coast Yacht Club (22º 22’N., 113º 59’E.). During the next month and a half we spent our time preparing the boat for the voyage to the US, learning as much as we could about the equipment and systems and practicing docking and other vessel handling techniques. In addition to preparing the boat and ourselves, we explored the city of Hong Kong and its many islands. During our stay we also had a number of visitors including Yu-ching’s cousin Paula and her boyfriend, Yu-ching’s doctor and his family from Taiwan, Yu-ching’s sisters (Yu-fong and Catherine) and Rong Rong, a student of ours at the American University in Bulgaria. On July 18th we filed the paperwork to leave Hong Kong. On July 19th at 09:17 we cast off the dock lines and began the trip to Subic Bay on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. On board were Gordon, Dave Negle and Randal Johnson. Dave and Randal are having boats built by the same yard that constructed Alchemy. On the 22nd at 12:35 we arrived in Subic Bay (75 hours and 18 minutes later) and docked at the Subic Bay Yacht Club (14º 49’N., 120º 17’E). All things considered, the trip was thankfully uneventful. There was a tropical storm coming up from the south that was expected to follow our intended path late in the evening of the 22nd but we felt that it would be a safe passage as long as we reached our destination early on that day. As a back-up we plotted several safe harbors in the Philippines we could pull into along the way in case the storm moved faster than expected or in case we had mechanical problems. The seas were rough but Alchemy handled everything Neptune threw at her. We got tossed around some and on one occasion while Ed was off watch and trying to catch some sleep he found himself air born. It was not a trip we would like to repeat, but it is reassuring to know the vessel can handle big waves and keep going. We did not experience any mechanical problems and only a few minor problems with the auto pilot. In Subic we are doing routine maintenance, making a few changes in the electrical system and exploring the area around the bay. We had to order some spare parts so our departure has been delayed. At this point we expect to begin the next leg of the trip in about 10 days, on or about the 23rd. The exact date will depend upon the delivery of the parts and of course the weather. From Subic we will head south to Maya Maya (14º 06’ N., 120º 36’ E.). The trip will take us about 8 or 9 hours as it is about 50 nautical miles from Subic. After spending a day or two there we will head to Puerto Gallera which is another 50 miles south. From Puerto Gallera we will head southwest for the island of Palawan. We will skirt the southeast coast of the island and do our clearance paperwork at Puerto Princesa (9º 44’N., 118º 44’E). From there we will sail to the island of Borneo. We will travel along the north coast and make stops in Kota Kinabalu and Brunei among others. In general, we are going to harbor hop, traveling during the day and trying to avoid overnight passages whenever we can. Needless to say, weather is always a determining factor in our travel plans. As you may have gathered, Yu-ching did not make the passage with us. The day before we departed from Hong Kong she flew to Taiwan. She went there to help her parents move into their recently renovated home. She is now making preparations to join us so that she can sail with us until we need to make the next long passage. The Admiral is missed by the crew As well as the vessel herself. She keeps the crew in line and makes sure everything aboard is shipshape. More later! |
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