Anchor safety pin failure caused hull damage during rough conditions
While at anchor or underway in heavy seas, Lauren Landers Sailing felt an unusual impact and something felt wrong with the boat. After walking the full perimeter and finding nothing obvious, she looked up and discovered that the safety securing the anchor had come off, allowing the anchor to bounce and slam against the bottom of the bow. The hull showed deep scratches, chipped gelcoat, and gouges along the waterline. No water was coming in, which was the good news, but Lauren noted she needs to dive the hull as soon as possible to fully assess the damage.
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Sometimes replacing the whole toilet assembly is faster than chasing seal failures
Lauren's aft head had seals replaced a couple of times and still was not working properly. Rather than continuing to chase individual seal failures, she decided to replace the entire assembly. The result: two out of three heads on the boat
Heavy calcium buildup in hoses can defeat even a new toilet pump
On the master head, Lauren replaced the pump assembly but the toilet still was not working correctly. Her suspicion is that the hose itself has too much calcium buildup inside it, meaning the new pump is fighting against a restricted line.
A gushing impeller makes it risky to work on a ball valve underway
Lauren tried to operate a sea cock ball valve, and while the handle itself moved fine, water kept gushing out of the impeller opening at a rate that made continuing unsafe. Rather than risk more water flooding into the boat, she made the ca