Cannery Cove It’s another cloudy cold day as we fight the last of the flood current pouring into the narrow but well marked channel of Thomas Bay. We make our exit and head west down Frederick Sound. The currents are now with us and give Idyll Time a good one knot push. Several lone humpbacks […]
Valve Seat Recession
About four weeks ago, our generator suddenly went from normal output to having far less power. Instead of the 10+ kW it normally produced, it could only generate 7 kW. We worked through the Northern Lights diagnostic procedure and concluded we had a valve or valve seat problem on #3 cylinder exhaust. The steps we…
Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides is famous for spectacular, unworldy scenery. Hardly a boring vista exists, especially near the Trotternish Landslip on the northeastern shore. Several huge landslides took place during the post-glacial period, creating amazing formations such as the Old Man of Store and adjacent pinnacles, where the opening scenes for…
Diagnosing GenSet Low Power Output
In this installment of our maintenance series, we diagnose low engine power output on a Northern Lights 12kW generator. This engine is unable to produce more than 7kw of power, but can reliably deliver that, and otherwise is running fairly well. We walk through the diagnostic procedure checking for intake blockage, fuel system problems,…
JUST A COUPLE MORE UPDATES
May 22nd, a very exciting day – I was finally able to score toilet paper and paper towels. Rick has a virtual doctor visit on the 26th of May as a follow up to his gallbladder removal. If he gets the sign of approval we are scheduled t…
JUST A COUPLE MORE UPDATES
May 22nd, a very exciting day – I was finally able to score toilet paper and paper towels. Rick has a virtual doctor visit on the 26th of May as a follow up to his gallbladder removal. If he gets the sign of approval we are scheduled to fly…
Ardnamurchan Point
Ardnamurchan Point, along the eastern shore of the Sea of the Hebrides, is the westernmost point on mainland Britain. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic term Ard na Murchan, meaning “the hill of the great sea”. Rounding Ardnamurchan Point is considered a major milestone for cruising boaters. Currents can run 1.5kts around the point…
Replacing Generator Overhead Light
The overhead space between our generator and the ceiling is rather limited, and the fluorescent light mounted directly above it consumed a large chunk of that. So much so that James recently broke a bulb when jammed over top working to free the exhaust elbow from the exhaust hose. So we decided to remove the…
Changing Starter in 12kW Northern Lights
Our Northern Lights 12kW generator is just a slight bit slower to start. In this video, we check the likely possibilities for slow to start, including air filters, fuel filters, voltage at battery, and voltage at starter during cranking and determine that the starter is at fault. We then show the process of changing…
Gometra Harbour
More than two months after we dropped anchor off the Isle of Gigha, we departed north for Stornoway to refuel and replenish our deep stores. The anchorage had worked out well and the islanders had taken good care of us, but this was by far the longest we’d ever been at anchor in any one…
