Maybe less than 150 days before the boat is back in water!
Aivan ensimmäiseksi pari sanaa tästä sivustosta: olen kirjoittanut blogitekstejä menneistä tapahtumista, mutta minulla on monta tarinaa meneillään yhtä aikaa, ja sivuston rakenne tekee lukemisen sekavaksi. Niinpä siirryn käyttämään blogia siihen, mihin se on tarkoitettukin eli päiväkirjamaiseen kirjoitteluun. Retkistä ja veneen kunnostukseen liittyvistä asioista kirjoitan erillisinä sivuina. Muutan vanhat blogitekstit sivuiksi vähitellen.
To start with just a few words about this site: I have been writing blogs about our sailings and stuff, but I have many stories going on at the same time. Therefore the structure of this site is somewhat complicated. From now on I will start writing blog texts the original way the are written, as a kind of diary. Our sailings and some boat maintenance related things will be separate pages. I will gradually change the relevant blog texts into pages.
Myrskyssä maissa keinuva vene ja yllätyssähköä – A rocking boat on land in the storm, and surprise electricity
Ehdittyäni vihdoin veneellä käymään uudenvuoden jälkeen havaitsin sen heiluvan epämiellyttävän paljon tuulessa. Kävi ilmi, että pohjaltaan H-kirjaimen mallisen venepukin keskiosa, minkä päällä vene seisoo, oli hieman ylempänä kuin pukkiin kiinnitetyt tukipylväät. Niinpä vene keikkui pukkinsa varassa tuulessa ja hämmästyttävän pienellä voimallakin työntäessä. Liike oli pientä, mutta oli periaatteessa koko ajan kasvamassa, sillä joka kerta kallistuessaan tukipylväs tamppasi alla olevaa maata. Päätin lyödä kiilat tukipylväiden alle, jotta liike lakkaisi.
Saatuani seuraavana päivänä tehtyä kiilat, kävi ilmi, että myrskyn vuoksi oli vesi noussut 65 cm, joten tie talvisäilytyspaikalle ja itse venekenttä olivat veden vallassa. Sinne ei päässyt. Elin toivossa, ettei vesi jäätyisi, sillä sen jälkeen kiilojen lyönti olisi kutakuinkin mahdotonta.
Onneksi vesi laski, ja pääsin lyömään kiilat tolppien alle. Se rauhoitti paitsi veneen heilumisen, myös mieleni. Sattumalta paikalla oli toinen veneenomistaja, joka oli tekemässä mittauksia uutta moottoria varten. Hän kertoi, että kaupunki oli unohtanut sähköt päälle. Se oli tärkeä tieto: pystyisin lataaman akut loppiaisen aikana. Yleensä kaupunki kytkee sähköt vain viikonlopuksi tammikuun lopussa akkujen lataamista varten, mutta silloin en olisi paikalla.
Having finally the chance to visit the boat I noticed it was clearly rocking in the heavy wind, and surprisingly easily when pushed. The boat stand is H-formed, with the keel resting on the horizontal part of the letter H. The side poles were slightly higher than the central part allowing the boat rock to both sides. Each time the boat would press the ground making the movement incrementally larger. I found it very inconvenient, and decided to stabilise the boat with wedges.
The next day, having made suitable wedges from some scrap wood, I drove to the boat yard: the water had risen about two feet due to a storm making the access impossible. I was worried about the freezing of the water before I would be able to stabilise the stand.
Luckily, the water went down quickly and I was able to hammer the wedges without difficulties (see the picture above). They did, indeed, stabilise the boat – and my mind. There was another boat owner present, and he told me that the municipal authorities had forgotten the electricity on. It is usually turned off late autumn. That gave me the possibility to charge the three batteries during the Christmas holidays. The electricity is normally turned on for the last weekend in January to permit the batteries to be recharged, but I wouldn’t be present then.
Testasin akut ja ne vaikuttivat hyväkuntoisilta, joskin testeri mittaa akun kuntoa auton moottorin käynnistystä silmälläpitäen. Toisaalta testi kertoo, ovatko akut ylipäätään toimintakunnossa vai eivät. Veneessä on kolme akkua, yksi moottorille ja kaksi hupia varten. Ne ovat entisen omistajan hankkimia. Auton akku ei ole hupiakkuna paras mahdollinen, mutta ne ovat halpoja ja niitä löytyy helposti. Täytyy harkita muita vaihtoehtoja, kun nämä akut vääjäämättä vanhenevat.
Sain myös akut ladattua. Niiden pitäisi nyt kestää lopputalvi, jos sitä koskaan edes tulee…
Yllä kuva akkuosastosta. Kuvan oikeassa reunassa on mystinen polttoainesuodatin, mikä oli kiinnitetty akkuosaston peittävään vaneriin. En ole täysin varma, onko letku moottoria varten vai joku hylätty pätkä aiemmista rakenteista. Selvitän keväämmällä.
There are three car batteries in use, see the picture above. The blue is for the engine, the two others (mostly invisible) are for all the other electricity needed for the boat. I tested the batteries and they were all good for the purpose they were designed for – cars. The car batteries are not optimal for boat electricity, but they are cheap and easily replaceable. I will reconsider their type as these go bad.
There is a strange fuel filter to the upper right corner of the picture. It was attached to the plywood (with a service hatch) covering these batteries. I don’t know whether it is for the engine fuel or some other fuel hose not in use any more. There are a number of unused things left in place after they have been replaced by some other solutions.
I got the batteries charged and they should survive the rest of the winter now. As a matter of fact, there hasn’t been much winter yet…
Ofelia II ja muita juttuja 
Thank you for translating these blog posts to english.
As you have stated there isnt much information of actual use on Hero 101 boats.
So yours is much appreciated.
I am still in the dream phase of sailboat ownership, but the Hero 101 is on the shortlist and reading your experiences is very useful.
I hope you will document any issues and problems with this boattype when you encounter them. Along with your solution.
Greetings from Norway.
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Thank you, Stian for your encouraging comment!
My enthusiastic plan is to write about everything in both languages, but some texts are maybe only in Finnish at the moment. Honestly speaking I don’t remember… I need to check that at some point. At the moment I am working on the story about our journey to Estonia last year, which I have so far written in English only. It is somehow easier to stick to just one language at the time.
We have been happy with the boat. We feel safe aboard – well, it is a Norwegian boat – it sails well and logically, no surprises. Our boat is cosy inside, with a lot of wood like in the old days. I had to emphasize ”our” as the inside design of the Heros are said to vary from boat to boat, as they were also sold semi-finished. Therefore, no assumptions when buying a Hero, I guess.
Thank you for the idea: I might write a more detailed post about how I feel about the boat based on the current experience, two and a half seasons. I like writing, there is a lot to write but it is difficult to find the time…
Tomorrow, Jan 24, I will visit the Düsseldorf boat show again!
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I am looking forward to your coming entries.
Since this boat model often was delivered semi-finished it would be interesting to see how your particular one is fitted out.
I have seen specimens with the galley on the port nad starboard right after the companionway, but also alongside on the port or the starboard side.
2 quarter berths in the aft or just one with the other space fitted as a lasarette.
Lots of solutions made by the owner for their own requirements.
If you feel like making it I would happily read a “boat-tour” that shows the interior and the techincal solutions of Ofelia.
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Hello, Stian
Thank you for your comment! As a matter of fact, I’ve been considering creating a kind of a boat tour, but since I am very much behind my writing plans it has remained undone. It is frustrating: when you’d have the time to write, you’re exhausted, and when in good form other things dominate the To do -list…
Last summer, I collected some pictures from the inside of the boat. Maybe I try to find them again and publish. At present the boat looks miserable and messy with all doors open, all materials collecting humidity away etc.
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