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Our Explorer Yacht, Vanguard, is pushing against accepted yacht-building practices in a few ways. Sometimes this can be fun, taxing the mind and ingenuity of ourselves and our shipyard, Naval Yachts. An example of that would be the recent installation of our Hybrid Drives. What is a hybrid drive? Firstly, a quick refresh on what they are for and what they consist of. Hybrid drives are just a fancy description for diesel-electric with big batteries. These systems have been used in Naval and Cruise Ship applications for a few decades but have later found applications in yachts. Don't go down the rabbit hole of believing the hype of electric drive being a GREEN solution. It's fundamentally unsuited for 95% of hull designs because battery energy density dictates a low range. However, there are some advantages. Silent and subtle manoeuvering with no minimum idle speed allows the implementation of commercial dynamic positioning (DP0). Huge storage batteries guarantee energy independence. No additional noisy generators and very rapid (70kW) battery charging. Driving two propeller systems from a single diesel engine. From left to right, lower picture (600VDC electric drive motor not included, it fits above the gearbox). Engine - grey, clutch - red, hybrid drive - green, clutch - grey, gearbox - dark grey, coupling - dark blue. Our parallel drive line consists of a marine diesel engine (John Deere 4045), a step-down/up DC motor drive line (Esco Power/Praxis), a marine gearbox (Twindisc) brake, and self-aligning coupling (Bruntons). We can run on diesel, electric, or both and drive the electric motor at a full engine speed (2300 rpm) as a vast (70kW!) generator. A system of clutches ensures each element is isolated. Look to the link below for a full description. Foundations Firstly the engine foundations, the whole assembly is quite heavy, and with no down angle on the gearbox, it is low in the hull of our explorer yacht. The assembly inclines just 5 degrees aft (see illustration above). Good for stability and propeller efficiency but not providing easy clearances. We also cared to fit self-limiting anti-vibration mounts in case we broach. These flexible mounts have limited travel and keep everything in place. Not all mounts are made this way, so be careful. Engines and driveline So now the time has come to install the engines, drivelines, shafts, and self-pitching propellers (Bruntons). And boom! We ran into our first issue. As delivered, in error, the gearboxes had a 10-degree down angle on the final drive instead of parallel (0) degrees. Luckily we managed to source two suitable gearboxes from the USA; they are common in commercial fishing fleets. Three weeks later, we were able to start. Engines, step-up hybrid drives, and gearboxes were connected to form a single monolithic component. The John Deere engine flange is SAE (3) with 12 equispaced fixing holes allowing radial symmetry on the connection. We did play with orientating the drives at 30 and 60-degree angles but ultimately decided vertical was the best use of space and the most straightforward option. This also keeps the 600VDC motor cables well clear of the bilges! However, we needed to move the engine air intake filter to a clear location. I note FPB 64's also relocated this filter (for unknown reasons). Shafts and skegs Skegs were prepared next for the stern tubes. These were aligned with the engine assemblies, firstly with piano wire and then an industrial laser before welding in place. The propeller shafts are supported by bearings that are set into this shaft. Alignment is maintained with epoxy chock compound, allowing accurate positioning before set-up. Additional protection is provided via a Bruntons self-aligning shaft coupling (maximum of 3 degrees misalignment, we expect much less than that). Finish So now we have the engine, hybrid drive, gearbox, and shaft coupling installed and ready for all the ancillary components. Shafts, propeller bosses, and line cutters are on the shop floor awaiting installation, as are the shaft brakes that cause the Bruntons Autoprops to feather when not rotating. Rudders are also completed and are now ready for fitting into the hull. Propellers can be removed with rudders in place, but we must drop them to remove the shafts. Chris Leigh-Jones

Early June has seen us pack and set off for a new temporary home in Turkey. This is a stage of the build where we want to be here and be part of the final decisions before all becomes frozen physically and in time. We are witnessing this final stage of our explorer yacht build. This stage is not for the faint-hearted. You will be witness to chaos, sometimes more controlled than others. I steel myself with the belief that this is not their first or last hull, so all will be good. A kind of trust but verify approach. So what are we witnessing since the last visit here two months ago? Rudders Rudders, these are now completed and ready for installation. Two massively oversized rudder stocks drive around 1 m^2 of rudder blade area. Our biggest concern is broaching in a steep following sea. A good rudder area, limited in angle so as not to stall the flow and linked to a fast-acting steering system, should provide the protection we need. The lower 30% of, each rudder is weaker than the rest and so sacrificial in the event of grounding or impact. Stocks will fit in two self-aligning Jeffra bearings providing insurance from jamming should we manage to bend anything. Driving these rudders are independent hydraulic rams and steering systems from Wills Ridley (discussed elsewhere). We can control in unison, toe in or out as the water stream dictates, and control independently for close-quarters maneuvering and dynamic positioning. I hope it works as designed! Cabinetry The dry fit of the internal furniture is complete, and most is removed for final finishing. The hull has been picked clean, although the assembly will return quickly. Edges of the flybridge are kept open to provide air flow cooling to the solar panels above. Support systems Behind it goes all the internal systems and support cabling. We have also flushed out a few access issues we can remedy before completion. I do not have a comprehensive wire schedule but suffice it to say that we have now installed more than 15kM of marine-grade cables. Simple ideas tend to become more complicated than initially envisaged. Additional support systems for Victron hotel electrical systems and Webasto HVAC are now substantially complete. Navigation mast On completion of fabrication, the navigation mast was faired, primed then installed onto the flybridge roof. I had initially assumed it was bolted in place but discovered welding. I suppose we still have access to cutting discs at some point! We changed the specification on our Khalenberg air horn from pneumatic to electric. Not quite so resonant, but it saves installing a dedicated compressor and still fulfills the 130dB requirement for vessels over 20m LWL. Hull sensors are also now installed. It will hang under the lower radar bracket. Naval Yachts - explorer yacht builder extraordinaire! It would be easy to parachute into the yard, see the chaos underway and practice a form of management best described as "seagull," with lots of action and noise. I don't think this will produce a good result, so we have taken a different approach. From now on, we will hold weekly client meetings to discuss progress and issues. Ongoing in parallel, we run an ever-growing list of tasks we have seen ourselves as overlooked and additional requests. We are the curator of this list, so nothing gets forgotten, but the yard has the scope to address each in good order, and we do not contribute to an already slightly fraught process. Chris Leigh-Jones

T.E. Lawrence wrote "Dreamers of the Day." I've always liked that concept, and now by experience, it has a counterpart: "Problems of the Day." As examples of this recurring event on our explorer yacht, let's discuss two that occurred this week: 1. The Radar Reflector. Our pending certification to MCA Category (0) is governed by regulations encoded in UK MGN 280, referring to UK MGN 610 (UK MCA Marine Guidance Note). MGN 610 itself reflects the contents of the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention, Chapter V. (Do you like the bureaucracy of this lot?) Any vessel under 150 Gross Tonnes requires some form of radar reflector to increase its Radar Cross Section when painted by the radar of another ship. Radar Reflectors come in passive (large) and active (smaller, powered) forms. Motorboats need a radar reflector equivalent RCS (Radar Cross Section) of 7.5M^2 X Band and 0.5M^2 S Band. X Band is the more extended range used for collision avoidance, and S-Band is a shorter range but performs better in rain/fog/snow. In both cases, the radar reflector increases the RCS of the target painted by the radar beam (one's yacht). Thus it becomes more visible to the oncoming vessel. Passive Radar Reflector What I know about radar reflectors would fit on a postage stamp, so I am willing to follow any advice. We were given several manufacturers with a good reputation and referred firstly to Echomax. Reading through their catalog, for a vessel of 24M, we need their Model 305. The construction is a plastic cylinder and an internal set of oriented aluminum baffles to reflect the radar signals back to their origin. The sticking point is it must be installed clear of an active radar beam. That is where our problems started, as most of our instrument mast is within the beam of the dual radar setup. Active Radar Reflector Returning to the drawing board, we select an active radar reflector that works in both X (110m^2 RCS) and S (6m^2 RCS) Band Radar. They get a bit sniffy about these dynamic systems in the USA, so we carefully selected one that was US FCC Approved, MIL Spec (as in it has a NATO Stock number). The limiting position is again clear of the radar beam, but the unit is much smaller this time with increased mounting options. We picked the upper instrument platform and ignored a small shadowing of the anchor light that would not be visible in practice. So about 6M above sea level, giving a 5-mile line of sight to the horizon, limiting unnecessary alarms from ships far off. 2. Our Fuel System Installation. Fuel drops from the two bunker stations to one of 5 double bottom bunker tanks, each having its own fill and breather lines. Space is at a premium; those breather lines are 50mm in diameter, the same size as the fill lines. A big diameter limits fluid pressure when the tank is overfilled rather than the airflow rate during filling. Unfortunately, the plumber has "interpreted" the schematic as optional, and to save space, he joined all breather lines close by the tanks. So one overfilling tank would cascade to the next and not trigger the alarm in the overflow tank. 1. Bunker station from Stbd Side. 2. Internal shot of header tank on the right low down. The drain from the overflow is the smaller line with a blue stripe. 3. Opposite bunker station showing air breather verticle aluminum pipe in and horizontal fuel hose out. The solution for our Explorer Yacht One option would be to reconfigure the breather lines, removing cabinetry and seeing significant space constraints. The alternative is installing simple low-pressure stainless steel 50mm backflow valves that prevent fuel from flowing from one tank to the next. However, this also means that fuel could become trapped in the line between the position where breathers join and the overflow tank. So we drilled a 3mm hole in the face of each valve, small enough not to affect function but large enough that fuel will eventually drain back to the tank over a day or so. Don't you love it when a plan comes together? Chris Leigh-Jones I'm coming up on my first week in Antalya, staying in a small business hotel close to Naval Yachts and away from the tourists. Transport is a bicycle. Locally is a pretty multicultural place. Ukrainians, Russians, Kazakh flight crew, Kurdish shipyard workers, the odd N European yard rep, and many Chinese I later discovered were probably Uzbeck or Uyghurs. Trying an Uzbek restaurant on Tuesday; tea is the only drink served.

In this Blog, I'd like to introduce Akan Dumrul. Akan was recommended to us by our MCA Surveyor, Joe Rowles, and has become a friend over the time we have worked together. Akan is our Owners' Rep at the yard, our eyes and ears on the ground, and our representative with the yard when we are absent. He is Turkish; like many of us, he has spent his life wandering this planet. This is a part of his story and an insight behind the scenes. The Owners Rep in Building an Explorer Yacht All decisions in yacht building are defined by the compromises made. Each decision has a ripple effect that subsequently affects multiple later choices. Custom Yacht building is defined by compromises more than other fields of custom building. It has a range of solutions for each issue, depending on at what stage the problem issue surfaced. It can, for example, be an oversight by the designer, a request from the MCA surveyor, an additional feature requested by the Owner, or a recommendation or omission by the yard during a complicated construction process. Most resolutions have several solutions regarding the parties' cost, practicality, and willingness. Benefits of having an owner rep on a new build Most owners will visit the yard infrequently. This is quite understandable during the initial stages of the build, as most input can be undertaken remotely with a review of systems, equipment specifications, and schematics. As the project passes the 70% stage, there is a constant stream of questions and small daily decisions to be made. At this stage, those decisions define the final build and how close it resembles the Owner's initial concept. I believe on-site attention at this stage (especially around safety) is always too expensive when paying for it. Then it becomes very cheap in hindsight. Custom Yacht building is defined by compromises more than other fields of custom building. During the design development and alterations during production, each decision will affect residual events. The decision should be considered with such effects in mind. Building a custom yacht with an owner rep who understands the owners' vision, engineering, production process, and rules and regulations will benefit the project in many ways. It is beneficial for an owner's rep to have offshore sea legs and understand the engineering and production side. Akan Dumrul - our owners' rep. Control is an emotive subject. The Owner will exercise control over a project to a limited extent but must also be comfortable delegating daily decisions to the Owner's Rep. This retains momentum. Decisions with any gravitas being elevated as necessary. For that to function, there must be trust within the relationship. I began learning my trade as a boy racing yachts in the Mediterranean, and finally skipper a family-owned boat through offshore yacht races while in school for mechanical engineering. I also furthered my knowledge as a manufacturing process consultant before my involvement in yacht building. In my 21 years in the yacht building industry, I have worked for yards, helped survey huge yachts and project-managed complex refits. I was an owner's representative on many new build projects. My background provides me with the resources to access the project, from design to building and sailing in fair and extreme weather. Therefore I know what the sea has to offer and how it can serve up that experience for you in sublime and unwelcome ways. A vessel being "ready" instead of "sea-ready" is not a concept everyone can understand. Given your project completion, the difference will become apparent readily enough. I aim to add value to your custom build at no minimum cost. Most details of living (surviving) at sea come down to no cost details being thought thru. Considering the manufacturing status, I can guide an owner in getting the most benefit in any situation. Your Explorer Yacht Build Project The best way to control the build is with a general arrangement plan that is continuously updated to inform all parties of the build with each modification and detail the specific installation procedures of each component. Guiding the client through the decision process of building their dream sometimes requires one to explain to the client that the request is unreasonable and will hurt the overall build. Most yards will not have the vision to direct the Owner in the right direction. As an owner's rep, I always have the freedom to speak my mind to an owner I work for the Owner's benefit. Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. In conclusion, I remind you again of my reflection: "I believe that safety and build issues are too expensive when you are paying for them and become very cheap if you need them." Akan Dumrul Bey Owner Representative at Naval Yachts for the build of Vanguard, our 24M Explorer Yacht

The frequency of these Blogs has lately been reduced because we are packing our family to move to a temporary circumstance near the facilities of Navakl Yacht in Turkey. Vanguard is nearing completion, and we must make a thousand different decisions between the chaos of now and her final solidified form. The preliminary design was confirmed long ago, each decision now being minor. More of the type that correctly places a socket or hangs a cold, wet lifejacket clear of the worktop. From the first hull to Explorer Yacht, launch day approaches. We will arrive at the yard soon as launch day for our explorer yacht approaches. I will arrive on the 7th with Sebrina and our son, followed by the 15th of June. More to come in the following weeks. We started this particular journey 4 years ago. This is the first design we looked at, ClassicPilot 55 from Performance Classic Yachts. It has a limited cruising range, but I thought rather pretty. Sebrina is claustrophobic; thus, the end of that avenue and a different journey lay ahead. Venturing out searching for a yacht suitable to take us where we wanted. In that journey, we adjusted our expectations (and budget!) and realized that what we wanted was rarely available. They no longer make the FPB 70, and the existing ones are beginning to age sans an expensive refit. So we decided to procure our own version. There are now three XPM hulls, of which we are the second to launch. (two by XPM-78 and one by XPM-85) Moving to Antalya for the final build schedule Leaving a comfortable existence is easier said than done. You sever the ties of familiarity to follow through on the planned promise of a few years. There is a sense of loss and trepidation, yet a small choice but to step forward into the unfamiliar and unknown. This is how every adventure starts. The enjoyment is in the delivery and the savoring in the relaxation of hindsight. This is us right now. An apartment in Antalya (expect about $6000 monthly), a bicycle ride from the Yard of Naval Yachts. A lot more expensive than when we first visited, but we are now joined by many Russians with their husbands and Ukrainians with their grandmothers. The war to the north has long tentacles in these parts. What you get for quite a lot of $$ is an apartment in Antalya, a short bicycle ride from the Yard of Naval Yachts Tender nears completion June will see Vanguard near completion. Our tender will also be completed in June, with her factory acceptance test at Habekke Shipyard towards the end of the month. So July is the month of shipyard commissioning, then owner acceptance testing mixed in with our first sea trials, and the learning curve rises upwards. A peek at our tender now nearing completion at Habbeke Shipyard, more in a later blog. Finally I find myself in my early 60s; 47 years ago, I ran off to sea, leaving home in North Wales, and here I am again, leaving home again to go to sea again. I have become the lyrics to a Dolly Parton song. Chris Leigh-Jones I came across this video recently, sent by my Youtube friend John Johnson. I'm assuming it illustrates the perils of unattended autopilot. I've also heard of people believing GPS works like Radar, not so. Is anyone ever really that stupid on purpose?

We all create parallels in our lives. For me, there is a strong parallel between the boat-building process and creating a custom home. The big stuff happens quickly and creates a dramatic change. So laying the keel, turning the hull, installing the top structure .... all quite exciting. Then you fall into a seemingly black hole of detail. Wiring schematics, aerial layout, COLREGS compliance, ducting runs ..... This takes time, patience, and cooperation across often competing disciplines. Thus, we, by necessity, put on our big girl pants and dived into the details of Vanguard's build. So this morning, I woke to a list of requests from the Yard. What is the connection schematic between the Esco Power clutch drive and the Praxis I/O Module? I must understand the Byte allocation on the PGN list for the J1939 engine CAN Bus interface. (Did you like that one? Seriously, it's 5.30 a.m.!) Can you tell me which VHF Aerial we can usefully sacrifice as we have redundancy issues? PGN is an 18 bit subset of the signal Identification under an SAE J1939 CAN Bus protocol. It identified the signal and a number of features of that signal. The more familiar NMEA 2000 data communication protocol uses a similar system. Then I went and had more coffee. If anyone is considering building their own Explorer Yacht, expect to be at the "Youtube School of Education" and at least grasp some pretty esoteric system features. Learn them now or when they go wrong; no help is available. The day though, did improve. We saw the modifications made to raise our windlass so that the mooring lines ran fairly in tko the capstan drum. We also saw the start of the forepeak hatch coaming. Both needed completion before painting. We also apprved the final mounting arrangement for main Helm MFD display screens. the initial arrangement (right) tended to appear restrictive and blocked the view, the final (left) was much more open. The first (right) solid boxed mounting was rejected as obscuring he view.The second (left) consisted of frames to hold the MFD screen in place. Much less obtrusive and was approved. On the subject of a painting, we test-fitted all lights and navigation equipment to the new instrument mast before sending it to the paint shop—an opportunity also to check sight lines and the overall schema. Plans worked in most instances though we did spot the opportunity to mount Cell System 4G aerials higher to improve reception. VHF whip Arials were also rationalized from 4 to 3 and set higher and away from potential interference (two for ICOM VHF, one for AIS systems). Placing these components is a struggle between aesthetics and making sure that each component can operate free of interference that itself operates in three dimensions. I appreciate it when the local equipment agent (in this instance, Furuno) is also the installer and brings with them a wealth of knowledge no one else has the time to learn from scratch. Lights positioned as per COLREGS, Radar, One Web, Certus operating cones have free line-of- sight. VHF aerials and SatCom are free from interference. Two final points to contribute before we close out this blog. 1. Tuesday saw an awful fire at Damen Shipyard in Antalya, luckily, no one was hurt, but it destroyed the shed. In it was stored bulk fiberglass resin and destroyed several completed hulls. Luckily no one was hurt though it's a dramatic illustration that fiberglass may not be the best choice when working a hull far away from help. 2. We also received two photos of the recently splashed Arksen 85 hull. Photos were geo-located near Southampton in the UK. A beautiful piece of design, if I may say so. My wife, Sebrina, wants one, and we look forward to bumping into her on our respective journeys! Chris Leigh-Jones

Gut feel is an accepted water-glycol cooling system design tool but has its limitations and all solutions are possible given infinite time and resources. We have neither of those and a few days to decide. My theoretical engineering skills are 40 years in arrears, so it is probably best to rely on empirical data and the work of others. However, before we started, it was necessary to consider a worst-case scenario as the basis of calculation. How to Simplify the Cooling Requirements? We have a glycol water mixture in contact with a 12 mm aluminum skin. The hull is coated in a thin coat of antifouling, then in contact with seawater. Given that turbulent flow is more efficient at heat transfer than static conditions, we can assume the vessel is at anchor in still water. So any heat transfer we achieve will be convective for the liquid phases and conductive for the aluminum hull. The Heat Transfer Coefficient for Ethylene Glycol is 5/10% less than freshwater. For this review, they can be considered equal in our 50/50% mixture. Limiting Operating Conditions The coolant temperature is limited to 35oC before systems begin to de-rate. This limitation applies to batteries and inverters only. So the maximum coolant temperature is now anchored at 35oC. Water temperature can be all over the place from just below zero upwards. The average worldwide surface temperature is 16oC, so we assumed 25oC as the worst case. That then gives us a temperature gradient of 10oC. The best case is 0oC seawater giving a 35oC delta. Also, although the thickness of the hull is significantly over code requirements, at 12 mm, it is still considered a thin plate for heat flow purposes. Approximating the Expected Performance of this water glycol cooling system Enter an excellent resource – The Engineers Toolbox. A great collection of worked examples for typical engineering problems. We looked at a few different scenarios: Scenario 1 – liquid or steam heating of a liquid tank. Forced heat flow across the metal heating coil surfaces with convective heat flow in the tank. 28oC delta produces a heat flux of minimum 570 w/(m2.oC) Scenarios 2 – Liquid-Liquid tank heat loss with a metal interface at tank sides. Water/Mild Steel/Water 340/400 w/m2.k (k=Kelvin, same as oC) Water/Copper/Water 340/455 w/m2.k We know the thermal conductivity of aluminum is somewhere between Mild Steel and Copper. It is reasonable to assume this set-up’s heat flux will be upwards of 340 watts per square meter, per degree of temperature rise. Scenario 3 – this time, we looked elsewhere and, in our example, found an empirical vertical skin tank (keel cooler) calculation table for a Beta diesel engine installation. They recommend the tank side area exposed to seawater is: engine kW/40 = square area in M2. It’s also reasonable to assume that 30% of fuel energy is lost to cooling loads. Thermal efficiency is about 40%. So energy to power is about 4/3 energy lost to the coolant. So for our JD 4045 engine, 120/40 = 3m2 will cool water from 90 to 60oC, dissipating 90 kW of heat energy in the process across a 30oC temp drop. Final Estimated Results So, taking our worst-case scenario, a 10oC temperature delta across the hull should result in: Dimensional equivalent transposition: W/(m2.k) x k/1000 = kW/m2 Scenario 1 – 570×10 = 5.7 kW/m2 heat dissipation (per 10oC delta) Scenario 2 – (340 to 400)x10 = 3.4-4.0 kW/m2 heat dissipation ……. Scenario 3 – 90x((10/30)/3) = 10.0 kW/m2 heat dissipation …….. These three results are pretty close, especially given all the different assumptions we have made to arrive at this point. I think it would be conservative to assume that every 1 m2 of hull bottom exposed to fluid in this tank will dissipate >4 kW of heat for a fluid difference of 10oC. The situation improves under less demanding temperature conditions. Read also: Wet Exhaust System Design - Developing Basic Design Rules Read also: A Novel Water Glycol Cooling System for our Explorer Yacht

Our Owners Rep, Akan Dumrul, is a valuable asset, a Mechanical Engineer with an academic penchant. Come the time to critique the wet exhaust system design, and he rightly asked for my opinion. Hmm, I did not have one![*]. Akan was less than appreciative of my clueless stance, so it was time to hit the web and get an "edumication," as they say in the Southern USA. I turned to a few sources. Boat wet exhaust system resources: Trawler Forum is an excellent resource of old salts. They actively assist the hapless or witless until we learn to walk. SetSail.com. Steve and Linda Dashew's experience designing and testing 17 variations of FPB. Steve D'Antonio, you have to admit he's very experienced and willing to share. The last one is Tony Athens of Seaboard Marine. His writing is directly to the point, experienced, and "don't waste my time." Probably my favorite "go-to" for marine fuel and exhaust knowledge. To some extent, what we have to play with will dictate the final wet exhaust system. We wanted a quiet yacht so sound reduction was important. No longer does my youth beg for the roar of an engine exhaust. A quick search revealed typical sound suppression figures from 40% for single chamber lift systems through 80% for a dual chamber system. The latter are often fitted to gensets to stop the constant "woosh woosh" noise of water discharge. Our engine suits one within the sizes offered. Any noise above about 75dB is going to be annoying. Sea water is injected in to the exhaust at some point downstream of the turbocharger and dry side of the exhaust system. We then developed a set of overarching rules for the yard to work within. They are not immutable, but there should be a good reason to change: convenience is not a good reason. Water Exhaust System Design - Basic Rules Here are the rules we have distilled from the combined knowledge of the great and good referenced above. Water should NEVER be allowed to enter the engine or turbocharger, EVER. Water injection AFTER the downturn in the exhaust, angled down from the horizontal and NOT near the apex or before. If anything might crack, assume it will. Mounts will fail if subject to bending moments, valves will similarly always fail at some point. A water-cooled header will crack at some point in time. Avoid using an anti-siphon valve as these need maintenance. Avoid a "lift" type system requiring exhaust pressure to push cooling water up and out of the yacht. These add back pressure and penalise engine efficiency, we have the install advantage of engine room height and gravity is our protector from a flooded engine. The exhaust system downstream of the water injector can NEVER run hot. Fit an over-temperature alarm.. Anything discharging above the waterline does not need a valve (especially as the exhaust riser is high). Anything discharging below the waterline needs a good quality ship-side valve (I like the glass reinforced composite ones for an aluminum hull). 316L Steel or Marine Type approved high temperature silicone exhaust hose are suitable for wet exhaust pipe. The turbocharger and hot exhaust need an effective and liquid proof exhaust blanket or wrap. Look at Yacht Resources We selected a large, dual chamber combined water separator and muffler from Halyard. It sits on the wet side of the exhaust system. I believe hull No 1 also used the same or similar. Halyard supplied ancillary components such as the water injection head, expansion joints, dry riser and temperature sensor. We will experience a space penalty but also claimed <80% sound suppression with a lightly rated engine. The challenge now is to find somewhere for them in an already crowded engine room. We do not need to keep on the engine C/L as we won't heel like a yacht. Equipment can sit in front of the mufflers to save space as they are low-maintenance items. Look at Building Vanguard Yacht Wet Exhaust System Diagram Look at Yacht Equipment Water Exhaust Drawing shows a Dual separator and muffler omitting the additional water drain from the first chamber. Water Exhaust Diagram Drawing shows development checking the fall from water injector and lift height above the waterline. Vanguard Build Specifications, Photos & Videos here How does a marine wet exhaust system work? These units separate water & exhaust in the first chamber. Water is discharged below the waterline and exhaust passes an additional resonating chamber before discharge overboard. It sits above the waterline and does not lift the fluids causing resultant back pressure penalty. The drawing also shows that there is further scope to move the unit outboard by about 300mm removing the redundant exhaust outlet valve creating more useable space in the engine room. Wet exhaust system injection point Similarly, as the injection point is significantly above the waterline, it does not require an anti siphon valve and attendant maintenance. Keep it simple and stupid. So there we have it. A quiet, simple wet exhaust system, that meets our criteria and tucks neatly out of the way. It is essentially maintenance free and doubly protects the engine from sea water back flow from any source. For such an ostensibly simple system, it's surprising how much thinking was used in the consideration of this install. Our Blog has been through about 6 reviews, I now want it gone so have posted twice weekly. I hope it helps our readers at some point in their own boat building journey. Time for some alcohol! Akan Dumrul Chris Leigh-Jones For anyone interested in more general guidelines around marine exhaust systems, please find Halyard Installation Instructions in the file below. (*) Water exhaust systems I've only ever messed with three marine exhaust systems. The first was one. 30,000 tonne geared bulk carrier landed me near blind in a hospital in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with acid burns to my eyes (real fun). The second was an experimental seawater scrubber we fitted to P&O Ferries vessel Pride of Kent, overseen by UK MCA. And the third, a much larger 4MW scrubber on Holland America's Zaandam (long story). Look at Our Journey

I attended a spectacular ball aboard the QE on Friday. Aston Martin's, Ferrari's and smashed-in Land Rover's (all features from past Bond films) lined the red carpet on our approach to the ship. Synthetic smoke blowing across the aircraft carrier's massive freeboard, caught the blue/red/white flood lights proudly painting her British. My partner, Dawn, dressed in velvet green, floated through the scene toward her station. Her team led the Bond-themed event from the stern, raising a handsome sum for the RNRMC charity elegantly. I was there for two reasons. Firstly because, fortunately, I’m Dawn’s other half, and secondly to witness the auction of a 2-day summer sail in the Solent aboard Vanguard. I was excited to see her first impact among a crowd. The Auction After listening to 12 yr old Jacobs Mason warming speech, cocktails, wine, and port flowed as the auction began. To name a few prizes - SBS shotguns went for £19k, private dinner aboard the Victory for £12k, a night in the Skyfall villa at something extortionate, and more. Vanguard sat among the prizes, auctioned for a night and 2 days with a private chef and plenty of adventurous imagination, she made £7k for the charity. I felt proud seeing Vanguard on the big screen at one end of the Hangar, keen hands raised in the crowd vouching to sail her. What was only an idea a short time ago, was now slotted into the diaries of strangers and making a real charitable difference. This was no average gig, and I contemplated on where the adventure of a ripening idea may take you. As I watched Vanguard sell herself, I was sat in a dinner jacket, eating macaroons beneath a crate of F35 missiles, chatting to two Bavarian warhead designers, whilst resisting the eminent draw of an attractively dressed German opera singer, Friederike Krum, across the table. The high-ranking, rich and powerful sat behind me and a table of sub-marina’s were merry and noisy to the left. Over cheese and biscuits, the Bavarians educated me about missiles. Later the whole gang flocked in as a united front toward the stage and partied to the son of Status Quo’s rock band ‘RPJ’ blasting out classics. Everybody bounced around, with no social differences, all well-oiled in the hangar of an active warship until 1am. I will remember it fondly. Now comes the run-up to the official commissioning of Vanguard in 2023. Intrepid arctic exploration lies ahead, but before that, live testing of her integrity as a ‘luxury explorer’ vessel with 4 unprimed guests who we thoroughly look forward to joining us, and giving their honest opinion. Jeff Leigh-Jones Thank you to the RNRMC and HMS Queen Elizabeth for hosting a memorable event and inviting us to be a part of it. Look at Building Vanguard 001 post

We reviewed how the Windlass would mount on our last visit to Naval Yachts. The device must perform several functions, including raising/lowering the anchor, breaking and /or locking the anchor chain in a particular position, and providing motive power for warping a headline or kedging an additional anchor when necessary. The Windlass is a large Maxwell (now Vetus) VWC4000 design with an attached vertical capstan, band break, and Maxwell chain stopper attached separately. By "large,"; it's not that big but represents the smallest of their range of Windlass for "large yachts 80 feet and upwards". Essentially, the system is a commercial-grade unit. The anchor chain is 330 feet of ½ inch (13mm) galvanized chain attached to a 110kg Rocna anchor. We thought about a. stainless chain but consider them inferior on both cost and corrosion performance (crevice corrosion). Sometimes bling has no place on a. yacht. I claim no actual knowledge on anchors but was accepting to follow the advice of others, in particular Wayne, owner of XPM-001 Mobius, and Dashew on the FPB70 and FPB78. The anchor is about 50% larger than recommended for this displacement and hull length, even given the low windage. We followed the philosophy that you could never have too big an anchor, and everyone likes to sleep at night. It is stowed in a rack on the port side, preventing the need to have it protrude in front of the hull like an ancient Greek Trireme. We will probably also store an additional demountable anchor in the forepeak, just to be cautious. Mantus make this type of anchor. The forward facing fairlead is set at deck level. It will be used for the anchor snubber as well as tow lines and sea anchors. It also acts as a drain for water that lands on the forward sloped foredeck. That stem is just sooo skinny! Returning now to the Windlass. An essential aspect of the installation is ensuring that the anchor chain and mooring lines run free and correctly set onto the drums. In this respect, our initial intention to fit the unit onto the foredeck proved problematic. The anchor chain ran fairly into the Windlass and onto the chain locker, so that was correct. However, we noticed that any line that led through the forward fairleads and onto the capstan drum joined the drum approximately at the midpoint (see below). The user could force the rope lower but then risked it overrunning itself, resulting in a nasty and dangerous tangle. This is no good even on a nice calm, warm day; imagine if windy, wet, and freezing. When installed on the foredeck the warp led to the capstan at a down angle from bulwark to capstan drum risking an overrun as shown in the right hand drawing. The answer was to raise the assembly above the foredeck level. Luckily the windless drive gear is designed for a thick wooden deck installation, so the retaining bolts were some 4inches long. The new position allows for a horizontal run from the bulwark and fairlead to the base of the windlass drum. We can get at least two and probably three turns on the drum before it exits the top of the capstan drum. That should provide a firm purchase on our near 1" diameter mooring lines. By raising the unit 100mm or 4", the warp leads horizontally to the base of the Capstan drum providing 3 turns of grip and reduced risk of overrun. We looked at ways to power this Windlass from hydraulic to 24VDC with a local battery bank for peak load, 240VAC, and 415VAC 3-phase. The final choice was the 415VAC 3-phase. This minimized the cable weight and voltage drops between the engine room and a nearly 60-foot run to the Windlass. Luckily we have 415VAC bus bars available. Failing their existence, we would probably have opted for a 240VAC single-phase supply as it avoids the installation of a heavy battery bank at such a forward location. Chris Leigh-Jones Advice from Magnus Day of High Latitudes was that we would experience problems with glacial flour (goopy silt) adhering to the chain and anchor. Our solution was to provide a high-volume jet of seawater driven from the fire main. It will flush the main regularly and clean the chain as it comes back on board. The sea water flow is considerably larger than a typical wash-down provision, be careful where you stand!

I don't sleep much at night; I never did. The nighttime hours became my mental playground, and I am fascinated with the rise of AI, Singularity, or whatever label we try to apply. I am taking the US Coast Guard 100T examination, so it was front and central in my mind when I thought of playing with ChatGPT to see how it would fair. It was kind of scary, to be frank. Read also: US Coast Guard Certified Training 6-Pack and Seamanship So how did this play out? The USCG Master 100 Ton test, is as good as it gets in the USA for the amateur mariner, barge handler, or ferry captain. There is bookwork, chart work, and 720 days of certified sea time. I believe the extended time at sea is our best instructor, assuming you survive that long. I asked an unformatted question of ChatGPT. The answer is pretty believable. AI Yacht / ChatGPT So one could reasonably expect AI/ChatGPT to ace the bookwork but fail miserably on the experience front. I then turned to this site www.uscgq.com, as an excellent resource for Q&A applicable USCG competence tests. The only part we did ignore was the chart plotting questions for reasons hopefully obvious. Artificial Intelligence provided with Yachting Questions We then took the questions directly or, if they were in the form of a statement, made minor amendments to form a question and plugged the results into ChatGPT. This process repeated, walking through questions on Deck, Navigation, Environment, COLREGS, Electrical, Engine, and Fire .... A nice feature of this site is that it also provides the expected answer so we can make a quick judgment. Below are two examples of this with a prescriptive question and correct answer: Q: BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND Which vessel is "underway" within the meaning of the Rules? Open AI ChatGPT: Under both the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS Rule 3) and the Inland Navigation Rules, a vessel is considered "underway" when it is not at anchor, aground, or tied up to a dock or other stationary object. Q: The term "gross tonnage" refers to what? Open AI ChatGPT: The term "gross tonnage" refers to the total internal volume of a vessel, measured in units of "gross tons." For more challenging or subtle questions, we saw answers that are technically correct but do not provide the answer USCG is looking for: Q: BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND A vessel nearing a bend or an area of a channel or fairway where other vessels may be hidden by an obstruction shall take which action? Open AI ChatGPT: Both under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and Inland Navigation Rules, a vessel nearing a bend or an area of a channel or fairway where other vessels may be hidden by an obstruction shall take early and substantial action to avoid collision by slowing down, changing course, or both. USCG wanted to "Sound the warning signal (5 short blasts)." Q: You are approaching the first of two drawbridges that span a narrow channel. The second drawbridge is close to the first. Which signals should you sound? Open AI ChatGPT: When approaching the first two drawbridges that span a narrow channel, you should sound one prolonged blast followed by one short blast to signal your intention to pass through the drawbridge. This signal is known as the "request-to-open" signal and is typically made on a whistle or horn. What USCG wanted to read was "Sound the Request to Open signal" When the bridge begins to open, "Sound the Open signal again for the second bridge before moving forward." The clue here was that they were "close together." Lastly, there were some examples where the system provided a believable answer, BUT it was, in reality, total tosh (as the Brits may say). Q: When a small craft's anchor fouls a rocky bottom, the first attempt to clear it may be made by? Open AI ChatGPT: When a small craft's anchor fouls a rocky bottom, the first attempt to clear it may be made by a technique called "kedging." "Kedging is a method used to dislodge the anchor by using a small secondary anchor, called a "kedge anchor," or any heavy weight, such as a large rock or a diving weight, that can be carried out in the dinghy. Hmmm, kind of missed the "small craft" bit. What USCG wanted was "Drive slowly over the anchor to pull in the opposite direction." Q: After the initial inspection, which inspection procedure must be conducted on all carbon dioxide fire extinguishers aboard a vessel? Open AI ChatGPT: After the initial inspection, all carbon dioxide fire extinguishers aboard a vessel must undergo a "hydrostatic test" inspection procedure at regular 6-year intervals. Chat GPT just made that up, it's plain wrong, but it looks convincing. You weigh the cylinders at annual inspections, to my knowledge there is no "6 year" inspection. AI Yacht - Can open AI fool the USCG in an exam? So there you have it, folks. Can ChatGPT fool the USCG in an exam? At first glance, yes, but underneath the surface, many doubts will remain depending on the nature of the questions and how they are formulated. It also fares poorly with a soft pencil, Compass Rose, and 12" parallel rules. Mariners as a species are perhaps in danger of eventual redundancy but probably not in my remaining lifetime. Chris Leigh-Jones Self-delusion is in all of us. The website above (www.uscgq.com) is quite a fun way of bursting that bubble and learning a little. I particularly liked age-old questions like the "advantages of DC derrick winches" and "how to crash-stop a steam turbine." Classic.

A friend asked me a few days back, why name our explorer yacht Vanguard? Well, I’m a firm believer that we can all use Google, so there is no point in regurgitating an academic paper about the Norse origins or various meritorious Royal Navy ships carrying that name, or whatever else Google may serve up. In the last ¼ of my life, temptation steers me to reflect often upon the first 1/4. That fuzzy careless time when the world was black and white and Top of The Pops presenters were innocent public figures. I also remember the smell of the odd new carpet as I played with my Triang or Dinky or Match Box toys I kept in an old biscuit tin under my bed. Small bedroom, Dad made me a ship's bunk, kind of hinting at my later life really. So given she had a long, low and fast, mean-looking hull, and given I always like the name Vanguard and given “Vikings” is a good series on HBO I can relate to. "Vanguard" is the name she got. And then my wife, Sebrina ageed! Simple! Chris Leigh-Jones