The solar panels that I had installed on Apropos were now 12 years old. They consisted of 2-85W, 2-95W, and 1-135W panels for a total of 495W. PV cells and solar panels have come a long way in 12 years. Increases in efficiency, flexible panels that can be walked on, bi-facial panels and better solar controllers are some of the changes that have occurred over the past years. Also, the price of solar cells have decreased dramatically.
The old solar panels were aboard Apropos during the 2014-15 trip to the South Pacific. The 2-85W panels sat on the deck against the butterfly hatch port and starboard, 2-95W panels were mounted outboard the lifelines port and starboard, and a 135W panel atop the dodger. The 2 on the deck were easily moved while at anchor to either side depending on the sun position. The system worked well and we were able to run all the electronics and have refrigeration and watermaker (run only with engine). We didn’t use autopilot (windvane was used instead) and had to shut down the freezer due to its frequent cycling.
There were several goals in upgrading the solar. More total PV watts, better placement of panels, better panel adjustments, and easier/quicker removal of panels from outboard mounts.
The new solar panels are 2-200W bifacial monocrystalline. Bifacial panels have additional, lower-grade solar cells on the backside of the panel to increase the efficiency/area. Most rooftop mounts can’t take advantage of bifacial panels, but the outboard mounts on a boat are ideal for bifacial panels where UV rays reflect off the water and hit the backside. The new 200W panels are approximately 30″ x 54″, 50% bigger than the 95W panels and 100% more wattage.
Mounting
The increased size and weight of the new solar panels required a stronger mount. I built similar U-shaped frames out of 7/8″ stainless steel tubing as last time, but this time included an extra horizontal arm for better support. I also went from using a single strut to using 2 struts that support the frame to the hull. The frame attaches to 2 stanchions using spring pins, same as before. Two goals I had for the mount was to make the solar panels easily removable, and to make the panels adjustable. I decided on 3 settings– a 6 degree off horizontal, a 23 degree tilt away from the boat, and a 20 degree tilt toward the boat. This is accomplished by using 1″ thin walled tubing and 7/8″ thick walled tubing for the two struts. This allows the 7/8″ tubing to slide inside the 1″ tubing. The 23 degree tilt away from the boat is set by the length of the 7/8″ tubing (24″). The 6 degree horizontal position is accomplished by inserting a pin or bolt into a hole in each strut. Likewise, the 20 degree tilt towards the boat by inserting a pin into the 2nd hole in each strut. The panels can also be moved into an up position to get them out of the way during docking or going through locks.
6 degree23 degree-20 degree
The panel position is made easier to set with the addition of a line that is led from the panel, through a low friction ring lashed to a shroud, to a cleat on the dodger. I marked the line for the different panel positions. This makes it a 1-person job to change the panel angle or stow in the up-position.
Standing rigging on boats should be replaced every 10-15 years, especially for boats taken offshore. The standing rigging on Apropos was 20 years old, so well past its due date for replacement. I decided to perform the job dockside and not pull the masts. This has its plusses and minuses. On the plus side, you can do all the work at the marina and don’t have haulout, mast crane, and yard fees. On the minus side, it takes a lot longer since you can only remove a certain number of shrouds/stays at a time in order to keep the masts from falling down. Apropos, being a ketch, has 2x the rigging and 2x the chainplates and since I planned on doing most of the work myself, I didn’t want to be in a boatyard for a month. There were also lots of variables like the time involved in getting new chainplates fabricated, sourcing custom chainplate bolts, and getting all the swaging work done. I also decided to make this as much of a DIY and learning project as possible. I hired a rigger (Terry from Yachtfitters) for guidance and technical expertise, but did most of the work myself.
Here are the main steps I followed for re-rigging Apropos:
Tune the rig to spec and mark all the shroud/stay turnbuckles with tape. This is needed to get the proper length for making the new shrouds/stays.
Remove groups of shrouds/stays strategically. For mizzen shrouds, brace the mast with temporary lines from masthead to deck. For main mast shrouds, remove in groups that allow adequate mast support from remaining shrouds. Deliver shrouds/stays to rigger, whose shop is a 2-minute walk from the marina.
Remove chainplates associated with the removed shrouds/stays and replace with new. Seal the gaps between chainplates and deck. Replace the chainplate bolts with new.
Pick up and install the new shrouds/stays from rigger, who did all the swaging work (attach the new wires to turnbuckes at deck end and eyes at mast end).
Repeat the previous 3 steps until done. I ended up splitting the entire re-rigging into 5 groups of shrouds/stays.
After all shrouds and stays have been replaced, re-tune the rig back to spec.
For cap shrouds, use seizing wire between spreader end and shroud to fix spreader angle. Add leather boots on spreader ends to protect the sails.
The remaining paragraphs provide details on some of the major parts of the project.
Going aloft
Re-rigging with masts in place requires lots of work aloft. In the past, I was never comfortable going aloft without another person spotting me and taking up slack in the backup/safety halyard. During the project, I probably made 20 trips up the masts. I learned from Terry (professional rigger) how to do it safely. I use a self-made 3:1 block and tackle connected to a climbing harness to go aloft. This allows me to pull myself up the mast with an effort of 1/3 my body weight. What I added to my climbing gear is a fall-arrest device that takes the place of a second safety halyard and the need for a 2nd person. The arrest device connects to my harness and slides up a halyard anchored to the deck. With this, every few feet after I pull myself up a with the 3:1, I slide the arrest device up above my head. If something fails on my main 3:1 halyard, the arrest device will keep me from falling. When I reach the mast level where I’m doing work, I make sure the arrest device is supporting my weight, then I tie off the lazy end of the 3:1 and can use both hands to remove/re-install tang bolts and cotter pins. When working alone, I also use a spare halyard to hoist the shrouds up the mast to the height of where they connect to instead of pulling them up with a messenger line. When removing shrouds/stays, I secure the spare halyard at the level of mast tang before going aloft, then I remove one shroud at a time and secure it to the spare halyard. I also bought a new canvas tool bag that I clip onto my harness that has a rigid top that keeps it open. This makes finding the right tool, tang pin, or cotter pin easier. There’s nothing worse than getting to the top of the mast and not having the correct tool, so I make sure I think everything through before going aloft and double check I have everything needed for the task. Since I made several trips up both mast heads, I took the opportunity to replace both topping lift lines.
From Mizzen Mast
Shrouds/Stays
Apropos’ main mast is supported by 8 shrouds, 2 backstays, and 2 forestays. The mizzen mast is supported by 6 shrouds and a jumper stay. The bowsprit has 2 whisker stays and a bobstay. That’s a lot of rigging! All stays are 304 ss wire, with the exception of the bobstay which is solid 1″ ss rod. Most shrouds/stays are 3/8″, a few are 5/16″. All turnbuckles were replaced with high quality Hayn silicon bronze and tefgel was applied to the threads.
Chainplates
Chainplates secure the shrouds/stays securely to the boat at deck level. On Apropos, they are all internal, which means they go through the deck and bolt on to teak timbers inside the cabin. Even though they are 3/8″ thick 316 stainless steel, crevice corrosion usually occurs in the area between the deck and the opening down below. It’s usually a combination of salt water intrusion and lack of oxygen that causes the corrosion. All the chainplates on Apropos were original, which makes them 42 years old. I had no idea what condition they were in, so I planned to remove all of them to inspect & replace.
Removing
Removing the 10 chainplates was no easy task. There are 2 triples (for 3 shrouds) that are 6.5″ wide, 2 doubles (for 2 shrouds) that are 4.25″ wide, and 6 singles (for 1 shroud) that are 2.5″ wide. Each chainplate has an approximately 166 degree bend, which is the angle between the hull sides and the shrouds. Because the bend is inside the core, the chainplates need to be removed downwards, often with a lot of force. I used blocks of wood and a heavy mallet to pound them down from above. The triples were by far the most difficult to remove and the wood blocks kept splitting, so I made a 2.5″ x 2.5″ x 12″ piece of UHMW polyethylene with a 3/8″ notch routed on the bottom to help pound the chainplates down. Because of the bend in the chainplates, removing them caused the outboard edge of the raised deck piece to break off. After re-installing the new chainplates, I used thickened epoxy to reattach them.
Fabricating
Garhauer Marine fabricated and mirror-polished the new chainplates from 316 stainless steel. They have reasonable prices and great customer service. I supplied them with detailed drawings and they all fit perfectly.
New ChainplatesOld Chainplate Showing Crevice Corrosion
Sealing
It’s important to have a good water-tight seal around the chainplates at deck level. I like to do the sealing before attaching the shrouds for easier access. Here are the steps I followed:
Clean the area around the chainplate with acetone
Apply black butyl rubber (McMaster-Carr #75875A661) along both sides of the chainplate and at both ends. The black butyl is extremely tacky, so put pre-cut strips inside a ziplock back and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. It’s best to leave the paper strip on, then push it into the gaps between the chainplate and deck and then peal off the paper.
Apply white butyl (clay-like, non hardening McMaster-Carr #9408T146) overtop the black, along both sides and at both ends. Since the white butyl doesn’t stick to your fingers, use it to push more of the black butyl into the gap. On colder days I like to use a heat gun to warm the chainplate and butyl slightly.
Fasten the stainless steel cover plate and secure with 2 ss screws. It helps to push down on the cover plate as screws are being tightened. A little heat can also help to compress things and get a good seal. The plate will not be flush against the deck, it will be raised slightly because of the white butyl. Trim off any butyl as necessary.
This process should give a watertight seal. So far none of the 10 chainplates have leaked.
Bolts
Most of the 36 bolts that secure the chainplates to the hull showed signs of corrosion. I replaced them with new custom made 316 stainless steel 1/2″ bolts. The new bolts started out as carriage bolts and were machined to remove the square under the head, then a slot was milled into the head and threads were cut. Since the bolts came from stock, I polished the heads to a mirror finish. I ordered 2 sizes, 6-3/4″ and 5-5/8″ lengths, both with 1-1/2″ of threads. With these 2 lengths I was able to custom fit each one by cutting the length with an angle grinder. The heads on the original 16 bolts for the 4 stern chainplates were bent to account for the angle difference of the hull and bolt . Instead of trying to bend the heads of the new bolts, I decided to make custom tapered washers. I bought a 2 foot long tube of Tivar UHMW polyethylene 1-1/4″OD, 5/8″ ID (McMaster-Carr #8705K91) and used a chop saw to cut the washers. Each one had to be custom fit with taper angles between 3 and 10 degrees.
Old bolt (left) with bend, new bolt (right)New bolt with tapered washer
When installing the bolts, I used a bead of white Sikaflex 291 marine sealant between the washer and hull. I aligned each bolt orientation with the slot horizontal.
Final Rig Tuning
Rig tuning is done by adjusting turnbuckles to get the proper tension on the shrouds/stays. A good rigger knows the proper tensions for each particular shroud/stay–cap shrouds, backstays, fore-stays, intermediates, and lowers. A tension gauge (Loos & Co. Model PT-3) is used to measure wire tension. It works by measuring the deflection along a 12″ section of the wire with a spring. As the wire tension is increased, the readout (scale from 0 to 60) goes up. A convenient table printed on the gauge is used to convert the scale to lbs tension and % break strength. In the picture below, the readout is 34 on 3/8″ wire, so the lbs tension is 1200 and the % break strength is 7.
There’s another component to rig tuning besides using a tension gauge and adjusting turnbuckles. An experienced rigger constantly monitors the mast for shape. This is done by sighting up the mast from all 4 sides. The art comes in by knowing which shroud/stay to adjust to produce the intended change in the mast bend. It’s also important to get the spreader angles even. This can be done by measuring from each spreader tip to the deck. Each spreader can be bumped up/down until port and starboard tips are equal distance to the deck. Next stainless steel wire is used to seize the shroud at the spreader tip, which locks the spreader angle in place. The final step is to place spreader boots on the tips to protect the sail when it comes in contact with the spreader. I decided to use leather boots instead of the rubber type that was on the boat before. The leather boots need to be stitched on using a herring-bone stitch, which took about 30 minutes each. Instead of a climbing harness, I used a bosun chair which is way more comfortable for the 2 hours it took to stitch on 4 spreader boots.
Pinning the turnbuckles is typically done with cotter pins. Another method is using stainless steel welding rod. This gives a cleaner look and prevents snagging lines.
Here are the wire sizes and specs for the final rig tuning:
Main mast cap shroud 3/8″ wire, 44 or 15%
Main mast fwd lower 3/8″ wire, 42 or 13%
Main mast aft lower 3/8″ wire, 38 or 10%
Main mast intermediate 5/16″ wire, 23.5 or 10.5%
Main mast backstays 3/8″ wire, 34 or 7%
Main mast inner forestay 3/8″ wire, 35.5 or 8%
Main mast headstay 3/8″ wire
Mizzen mast fwd 3/8″ wire, 41 or 12%
Mizzen mast lower 5/16″ wire, 21 or 8.5%
Mizzen mast cap shroud 5/16″ wire, 26 or 12%
Mizzen mast jumper stay 1/4″ wire, 7 or 5%
Bowsprit whisker stays 3/8″ wire, 38 or 10%
Conclusion
The project took about 2 months from start to end. It involved a lot of custom fabrication, plenty of trips up & down the masts, and hours working aloft. It was a good learning experience and something I shouldn’t have to repeat again on Apropos. Replacing the standing rigging and chainplates will give me some peace of mind when sailing offshore in heavy weather conditions.
Nuku-Hiva is the final stop before getting off the boat and flying back to Seattle via Tahiti. Total distance sailed from Panama City to here was 4,200 miles. Total time spent on the boat was 42 days. We visited 6 islands, and caught just 2 fish. Highlights for me were transiting the Panama Canal, seeing the wildlife in the Galapagos, and revisiting some favorite places in the Marquesas Islands. The sailing was fast, the stargazing on night-watches magical, the food aboard fantastic, and the old adage ‘fair winds and following seas’ was upheld.
We spent 1-1/2 days at anchorage in Hakatea Bay, also known as Daniel’s Bay. A few families live along the stream that flows through the valley. Vertical cliffs of hundreds of feet run along both sides. The valley floor narrows until reaching a dead-end with a waterfall. We hiked the 3 miles to the end and cooled off in an 8′ deep pool of refreshing clear water. After the 3 mile hike back to the bay, we ate a delicious meal of fish, breadfruit, mango/guava salad, and fried bananas prepared by a family that has lived there for over 15 years. We first met Teiki and Kua 9 years ago during our last trip to Nuku-Hiva and they enjoyed seeing the photo on my phone from back then. They are very friendly and Teiki is especially animated with his expressions and the way he talks very loudly. Mike gifted them with some mosquito netting and they sent us off with a dozen pamplemousse, plucked freshly from their many trees.
Teiki & Kua 2015Teiki & Kua 2024Hike to waterfallMeal prepared by KuaStream next to Teiki’s houseAnchorage
The final port, just 4 miles east of Hakatea Bay, was TaioHa’E, the main village on Nuku-Hiva. A huge Tiki guards the port from a hillside on the north-east side. It was built recently in 2016 to commemorate the village recovering its original and ancestral name of Tuhiva. The woman tiki is 40 feet high and represents ancestral strength. The warrior Tuhiva tiki is 26 feet tall and is depicted stepping forward to master his future. The iron rebar structure is covered with shotcrete and coated with a reddish volcanic tuff used by the Marquesan stone carvers.
The 47 mile sail to the Island of Tahuata took 6.5 hours. We brought in a tuna just before arriving. The west side of the island has several well-protected sandy beaches so we stopped for the day and went ashore at Baie Hanamoenoa. The anchorage was full of mostly catamarans. We will up-anchor and continue on to Hiva-Oa in the morning.
We anchored on the south west side of Fatu-Hiva under bright moonlight 17 days after departing the Galapagos. The tiny village of Omoa appeared when we awoke in the morning. It felt great to get off the boat and stretch our legs on land. We spent 2 full days on the island, which is one of the least populated of the 6 main islands that make up the Marquesas. Total population is 600 people grouped evenly in 2 villages–Omoa and Hanavave.
In Omoa we walked around taking in all the sites and fragrances of a tropical paradise. We hiked to a Petroglyph and ate at 2 of the local restaurants. We met a family that invited us to their house and organized a delicious meal, drove us around the island, and showed us their amazing artwork that included tapestry and carvings of wood and stone. Upon parting, they gave us bananas, pamplemousse (gigantic grapefruit), avocados, limes, coconut, breadfruit, and papaya.
The drive to Hanavave took us over a scenic volcanic mountain. Half paved concrete and half dirt, we moved slowly around hairpin turns with sheer cliffs. It rained quite a bit so the locals didn’t recommend the hike to a waterfall due to falling rocks. Upon returning to Omao, we had a fabulous meal that included tuna, steak, and frites (french fries).
The Pacific Ocean is by far the largest (and deepest) of Earth’s 5 oceans. The water volume is 170 million cubic miles. The typical globe view is centered around America (left pic) or Europe. The Pacific’s size can be better appreciated when viewed centered around it (right pic). It covers more than 30 percent of the Earth’s surface.
Today is day 16 since departing the Galapagos. We are currently only 50 miles from Fatu Hiva. The wind has lightened the past few days so we motored some. We also gybed for the first time, putting us on a starboard tack. We’re all looking forward to landfall, predicted to take place near sunset tonight.
We crossed the 1,500 mile mark from the Galapagos to the Marquesas passage on day 8. One of the highlights was watching the Superbowl using the StarLink connection. The routine stuff includes sail changes, stargazing, playing games, watching movies, reading, exercising, and listening to music. I always look forward to a morning coffee while relaxing in the cockpit and keeping in touch with family, friends, and the outside world. Mealtime is something to look forward to and there are 3 excellent and creative cooks aboard (disclaimer: I’m not one). We’ve had Coconut Chicken Curry, Focaccia Pizza, Seared Mahi Mahi, Tuna Wraps, and Moroccan Tagine. Our fresh produce is winding down but we’ve got plenty of pasta, canned goods, and some frozen meat.
The wind speed and direction varied the first few days of the passage. We averaged 172 miles/day over the first 5 days. That’s a 7.2 knot average. As we settled into the more consistent and stronger trade winds starting on day 6, the average speed went to 9.1 knots and we averaged 219 miles/day. The advantage of performance Catamarans in terms of speed and comfort is remarkable.
Watching Superbowl LVIIICode D HeadsailLast of our fresh fruit (besides limes)
Sunset Green Flash
Every day brings fabulous sunrises and sunsets. One particular evening I was on deck watching the sun disappear over the horizon and witnessed the Green Flash. This phenomenon is a prismatic affect produced by atmospheric refraction of light. It causes objects near the horizon to appear slightly higher in the sky than they really are. Refraction is stronger for green light than it is for yellow and red light (RoyGBiv) and results in a brief flash of green fringe on the upper edge of the sun. I’ve seen many sunsets at sea and this was the first time I saw the green flash.
Comparison to a previous passage on Apropos
When I did a similar passage 10 years ago (Mexico to the Marquesas), we had 4 aboard a Hans Christian 43. As you can see, there’s a big difference when it comes to space and comfort. A monohull heels and rolls a lot more than a catamaran, so doing anything below deck is difficult offshore. We averaged 126 miles/day over a 23-day passage. Right now we’re sailing comfortably at 9-10 knots and making up to 228 miles/day. I love the traditional look and seaworthiness of my HC43 and am glad we did that trip, but this passage has definitely opened my eyes to Catamarans.
Most people go to the Galapagos Islands to see the wildlife found nowhere else. Animals stare back at you instead of running away. A lot of conservation, research, and sustainable tourism are in place to protect the fragile ecosystem. Our permit only allowed us 3 days so we made the best of our time seeing wildlife and eating out.
Giant Tortoises
Giant Tortoises are found only on the Galapagos and in smaller numbers, on a few islands in the Indian Ocean. The word Galapago is an old Spanish word for a saddle, similar in shape to the tortoise shell. San Cristobal island has a semi-natural environment used as a breeding center and reserve for giant tortoises. It was well worth the visit.
Old Giant TortoiseEating OtoyBaby Tortoises
Sea Lions
Sea Lions are everywhere. They’re fun to watch but they sometimes make a nuisance of themselves. One morning we awoke at 4am to find 2 seal lions on the swim platform (no big deal), and 2 more that had made themselves comfortable in the cockpit, with one of them lounging on a cushioned seat! Around town they also go wherever they want.
Sea Lions on stern swim platform
Iguanas
Land and marine Iguanas can be seen everywhere walking around Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos Islands.
Land IguanaMarine Iguana
Birds
The Galapagos Islands are know for a wide variety of birds. One of the prettiest is the Blue Footed Boobie. There are many species of finches, known collectively as Darwin Finches. They have a wide variety of beak shapes and were the most important inspiration for Charles Darwin’s evolution theory.
Blue-Footed BoobieYellow Finch
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
We went scuba diving in a bay just north of where we anchored. Visibility was not great but we saw a shark and lots of reef fish. We also snorkeled on a popular beach and saw playful Sea Lions. Underwater photography is difficult without high end dive cameras but here are a few shots using an iPhone in an underwater case.
Misc.
Typical market for provisioning CrabMain Street in Puerto Baquerizo MorenoHike to Volcanic Crater LakeSunset friom anchor
Light winds are often the norm when sailing away from Panama City. We were fortunate to have 20-25 knot winds from the start, making for a very fast 2-1/2 days of perfect sailing conditions. The first 12 hours was spent keeping an eye out in the busy shipping lanes and strategizing our gybes. With 20 knots of true wind, Rioleon averaged 240 miles per day (10 knot average). On some big rollers from astern, we surfed down waves at 15 knots and recorded 21.4 knots max! Day 4 the winds lightened so we motor-sailed to charge the batteries, run the watermaker, do laundry, and keep moving along at 6-8 knots. Eventually the winds died to 5 knots and we motored overnight, then sailed again in the morning.
Most of the time at sea is spent relaxing, reading, playing games, cooking, fishing, and changing sails. At nighttime, we had 3 watches of 3-hours each. With Starlink internet access, we keep in touch with the outside world happenings. That’s a huge difference from our South Pacific trip 10 years ago where we only had SSB to pull up daily GRIB files for weather.
Here are some passage photos.
Rioleon Sailing Close-hauled with Solent HeadsailSqualls on the horizonSunset
This is a Red-Footed Boobie hitching a ride. The Galapagos Islands is home to the largest population of Red-Footed Boobies in the world.
If you’ve never crossed the equator on a boat, you’re a Pollywog. We had 2 Pollywogs aboard–David and Heidi. A ceremony and celebration took place after we anchored in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal. Now we have 4 Shellbacks aboard Rioleon.
We got our canal transit date a few days ahead of time. After departing the marina, we went to the holding area a few miles away and anchored overnight for a 5am start. Pleasure yachts are required to have 4 line handlers, a captain, and a hired canal pilot. The job of the canal pilot is to advise only, they don’t touch lines or the wheel. Boats are also required to have proper lines and fenders, which were rented ahead of time.
Jaime, the canal pilot, boarded Rioleon promptly at 5am, gave us some quick instructions, and off we were. A 5am start meant that the canal transit would be done in 1 day. Start times later than noon makes it a 2-day transit, and you have to anchor overnight on Gatun Lake. Jaime was extremely knowledgeable and was glad to answer any questions we had. Here are some of the facts he told us:
it takes 26 million gallons of water for each locking. Locks are gravity fed, so water from a down-going lock feeds the up-going lock.
an average of 24 boats per day transit (40 max).
a neo-Panamax ship pays about $500 million per transit normally. During drought conditions, such as now, a bidding can fetch $1-4 million.
typical revenue from the Panama Canal is $10-12 million per day.
there are 3 uplocks and 3 downlocks–it’s 28 vertical feet per locking. Gatun Lake is in the middle and used to be jungle. The channel through the freshwater lake is the original river basin.
it’s 50 miles through the canal from ocean to ocean.
It took us 12 hours to transit the canal. For a line handler (like me), it was a lot of inactivity while motoring between locks, followed by flurries of more intense activity at each lock. Rioleon was rafted up with 2 other catamarans (shown in picture below) for most of the lockings and we were on the outside, so we really only needed 2 line handlers for each locking. Three bridges cross the canal–one at each end and another one somewhere in between. They’re spectacular especially at night when lit up.
After getting through the canal, we tied up to a mooring buoy overnight and had a good dinner at Balboa Yacht Club. (l to r: Heidi, Clement, Mike, Jim, David)
A final provisioning in the morning, clearing out of customs, and refueling took a bit longer than expected so it was good to finally get underway.
