MV Dirona travel digest for Trondheim, Norway 2018

Position: 63°43.49'N, 9°32.04'E

The Tjeungskjær lighthouse, that we also passed on the way north, nearly fills the small islet it is built upon.

Position: 63°40.70'N, 9°29.27'E

Spitfire enjoying a nice calm cruise.

Position: 63°37.95'N, 9°29.35'E

We're now diverging from our route north as we turn east toward Trondheim.

Position: 63°38.88'N, 9°45.53'E

A tug was pulling this unusual tow down Trondheimsfjorden.

Position: 63°28.16'N, 10°8.70'E

The Hurtigruten Nordlsys heading south from Trondheim

Position: 63°26.01'N, 10°21.95'E

Passing behind the breakwater at Trondheim harbor.

Position: 63°25.98'N, 10°22.51'E

Skansen Gjestehavn to starboard as we pass along the breakwater. The main short-term guest pontoons are located here. But we've got a berth for a month farther along.

Position: 63°25.98'N, 10°22.59'E

Redningsselskapet vessel moored at their Trondheim base. Redningsselskapet, abbreviated RS, is the Norwegian Search and Rescue Service,

Position: 63°25.95'N, 10°22.67'E

Our 'gruten, the Kong Harald, departing Trondheim northbound. Trondheim is one of several cities along their route where the Hurtigruten ferry stops overlap.

Position: 63°25.90'N, 10°22.89'E

Passing through the Skansen railway bridge. The bridge opens only at set times to allow railway traffic to pass—we'd timed our arrival for the 12:05 opening..

Position: 63°25.92'N, 10°23.01'E

Entering Kanalhavn, the canal that runs from Skansen Bridge to the Nidelva River.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Moored at our home for the next month, Vestre Kanalhavn. We're on a fixed, rather than floating dock, so have deployed long lines to allow for the 6ft tidal range. We're using a 75-foot line off the bow, another as a forward spring, two 25-ft lines tied together as an aft spring line, and a 35-ft line off the stern. The shorter line off the stern keeps the boat relatively stable fore-and-aft with respect to a ladder that we'll use to reach shore.

Position: 63°26.01'N, 10°23.30'E

The fixed dock we're on has widely-spaced pilings. Dirona rests against only two pilings and the boat can more fore-to-aft due to the tidal range, so we've strung a row of fenders down the side of the boat. These include our two new Polyform F8 fenders and four of what we call "sausage" (1-f by 5-ft) inflatable fenders.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Shorepower is only 25ft behind the boat, but the water is 120ft away (adjacent to MY Spiti seen forward of Dirona). No problem—we just joined two 50-foot hoses and a coiled 25-foot hose and are now filling our tank.

Position: 63°25.98'N, 10°23.31'E

We dropped the tender in for a tour of the Trondheim waterways. This is the view to our new home.

Position: 63°25.70'N, 10°24.10'E

Colorful 18th- and 19th-century riverfront warehouses on the river Nidelva that runs through Trondheim.

Position: 63°25.75'N, 10°24.14'E

Viewing deck over the Nidelva River.

Position: 63°26.09'N, 10°24.45'E

Beautiful apartments overlooking the Nidelva River south of the junction with Kanalhavn.

Position: 63°26.12'N, 10°24.54'E

We moored the tender on a floating dock along the Nidelva River, just north of the junction with Kanalhavn.

Position: 63°26.08'N, 10°24.68'E

A great lunch on the patio at Egon, one of a dozen waterfront restaurants on Trondheim's popular Solsiden district. The area was packed on this beautiful sunny day. In the background are relics from Trondheim's old working waterfront.

Position: 63°26.08'N, 10°24.75'E

The glass-enclosed Solsiden mall is an upscale and popular shopping area.

Position: 63°26.12'N, 10°24.37'E

Pedestrian and bicycle overpass over the Nidelva River. The tender is moored off the bow of the boat at the left. The old crane near Egon, where we had lunch, is visible in the distance.

Position: 63°26.07'N, 10°24.72'E

We returned on foot to the Solsiden district for an excellent pizza dinner at Selma. We're really liking Trondheim so far.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

A lovely calm setting for our first morning in Trondheim.

Position: 63°25.65'N, 10°24.19'E

We had a delicious lunch street-side at Lonely Planet-recommended Baklandet Skydsstation.

Position: 63°25.68'N, 10°24.20'E

Everyone is out enjoying the sunny weather. This is looking north along Nedre Bakklandet.

Position: 63°25.68'N, 10°24.30'E

We were eager to try out Trondheim bicycle lift—the only one in the world and a popular tourist attraction. A rider puts their right foot against a small footplate and keeps their left foot on the pedal and the lift pushes them up the hill. (This video shows how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1PgmMbug8.)

It looks easy, but is actually a little challenging. The narrow plate pushes with enough force that it's hard to keep your foot against it. And Jennifer learned the hard way that if you let the plate get ahead of you, you'll be pushed over. James had the same problem earlier in the ride, but gave up before getting knocked over. Neither of us had the strength to keep our foot on the plate the whole way up, but we had fun trying.

Position: 63°25.58'N, 10°24.65'E

Kristiansten Fortress, built in 1681, is just up from the top of the bicycle lift. As with most forts, it has a great view of the area. This is looking northwest toward the harbor.

Position: 63°25.34'N, 10°25.91'E

We took advantage of the beautiful clear day to bicycle up to Tyholttarnet, a 406-ft (124m) radio tower. It's the tallest building in Norway and the observation deck has sweeping 360° views of the area.

Position: 63°26.36'N, 10°24.08'E

The 866 ft (264 m) cruise ship Mein Schiff 2, launched in 1997 for Celebrity Cruises, has a colorful history. Operating as the Celebrity Mercury in Seattle in 2006, US Coast Guard inspectors arrested the ship's captain for intoxication. And in the Caribbean in 2010, 500 passengers were evacuated after a major outbreak of norovirus. In 2011, TUI Cruises purchased the ship from Celebrity Cruises.

Position: 63°26.48'N, 10°24.12'E

Trondheim was founded in 997 and was the Viking capital of Norway until 1217. According to legend, Leif Ericson sailed from Trondheim in the year 1000 on his historic voyage to reach North America. This statue of Ericson is an exact replica of the one standing in Shilshole Marina. The original statue was erected for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and in 1997 the Leif Ericson Society of Seattle gave a replica to Trondheim to honor the thousand-year anniversary of the city's founding and Ercison's epic journey.

Position: 63°25.97'N, 10°23.90'E

A delicious Mexican dinner on the patio at La Border. Those are our bikes in the foreground.

Position: 63°25.48'N, 10°23.96'E

We took advantage of the high tide to see how far up the Nidelva River we could get. The water got too shallow before the big hairpin turn in the river, but we had a nice run. This is the view to Kristiansten Fortress as we return.

Position: 63°26.04'N, 10°23.54'E

Lunch at Ravnkloa Fish Market overlooking the canal. Dirona is just visible directly below the parking sign (click image for a larger view).

Position: 63°26.32'N, 10°24.11'E

Just after entering Rockheim, Trondheim's rock music museum, we noticed some people working on a sound board in a small sound stage near the back of the facility. They were a professional sound crew that work for the museum, but also support bands such as Norway's TNT. The crew were super-receptive to our questions—they spent nearly an hour showing us through the sound stage and describing the equipment. The museum overall was excellent, but this informal section was by far the best. We learned a lot and really enjoyed the discussion.

Position: 63°26.33'N, 10°24.10'E

Rockheim ('Home of Rock') is an excellent museum devoted to pop and rock music. The focus is on Norwegian bands, but the interactive displays are so interesting that not knowing most of the bands wasn't a problem. We had a great time and stayed right until closing time.

Position: 63°25.67'N, 10°24.12'E

Dinner along the Nidelva River at Den Gode Nabo's ('The Good Neighbour') floating pontoon. James is seated in the far right corner.

Position: 63°25.92'N, 10°23.80'E

Statue in downtown Trondheim of King Olav Tryggvason, ruler of Norway from 995 to 1000. He founded Trondheim in 997.

Position: 63°25.86'N, 10°23.42'E

Riding the Grakallbanen tram up to Lian, in the hills southwest of Trondheim. Then we'll cycle back down. The line was built in 1924 and is the world's northernmost tramway.

Position: 63°24.20'N, 10°22.89'E

There are excellent views back to to Trondheim as the tram climbs up to Lian. Trondheim is the third-largest city in Norway and riding the tram through the mostly residential areas gave us a feel for the size of the city.

Position: 63°24.15'N, 10°18.65'E

The view from a hilltop at the end of the Grakallbanen line over Lianvannet, a popular swimming lake

Position: 63°24.43'N, 10°19.40'E

On the way back down we followed several beautiful recreation trails that likely double as cross-country ski trails in the winter.

Position: 63°23.88'N, 10°21.51'E

We arrived at the Tramway Museum just before it closed for the day, but had enough time for a quick tour. The museum includes many heritage trams and details the history of the tramway, including the protests in the 1980s when the city council decided to shut the line down.

Position: 63°24.44'N, 10°22.52'E

The excellent view to Trondheim from Havstein, directly south of downtown. Our berth is about one third of the way from the left and the radio tower Tyholttarnet is prominent on the right.

Position: 63°25.20'N, 10°21.36'E

The Sverresborg Trondelag Folkemuseum includes artifacts and period buildings from the past 150 years. This 1800s miner's residence was relocated to the museum from the nearby old mining town of Roros. In the background are the hilltop ruins of Sverre Castle, built in the 1100s, with great views over the area.

Position: 63°25.32'N, 10°21.44'E

Verthuset Tavern was built in 1739 and transported piece-by-piece to the Sverresborg Trondelag Folkemuseum.

Position: 63°25.32'N, 10°21.44'E

While we relaxed in the shade at Verthuset Tavern, this man passed dragging a tire full of rocks up a hill in training for cross-country skiing. Just watching him made us thirsty. :)

Position: 63°25.89'N, 10°23.57'E

A delicious tasting flight of a few ounces of every beer made at Trondheim Microbryggeri.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Our dishwasher was leaking again. Initially we thought it might be another gasket issue, but the water was coming out from underneath in the center, so we pulled out it to investigate.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The dishwasher leak was due to the threaded section of the main conduit breaking away. It's impressive how much water will come out of that small crack. Fortunately we'll be able to pickup a replacement part when we're back in Seattle next week, so the timing on this was good.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Regular oil change and maintenance for all our gasoline engines: the crash pump and both dinghy engines, all Hondas.

Position: 63°26.07'N, 10°24.72'E

We've taken a real liking to a beer and a delicious wood-fired pizza on the outdoor patio at Selma.

Position: 63°26.16'N, 10°23.92'E

Loads of bicycles at the Trondheim train station.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

We've been having problems with the boot drive in our navigation computer and will bring a new computer back from Seattle. We were hoping the old system would limp along until we returned with the new computer to avoid wasting time with it, but its hard down and we want the control systems operational while we're gone. So we put in the spare boot drive, restored the most recent Windows Backup image, and got it back operational. Replacing that computer just a little bit later than we should have resulted in a few hours of more-or-less wasted time.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

After we had the propeller shaft replaced in Southhampton due to corrosion, we had a serious vibration once the boat was back in the water. We re-lifted the boat and the shaft was again removed to be reworked. When it was re-installed and Dirona was back in the water, it was better but we still had a vibration problem. We decided to cut our losses since we were already two weeks behind schedule and it was unclear if this job was going to get any better on the third attempt. Instead of again lifting the boat, we proceeded to London to enjoy a two months of city life moored within sight of the Tower Bridge.

The shaft runout is tolerable now and the vibration isn't severe enough to put boat components at risk, but it is still noticeable. Today James decided to put a dial gauge on the shaft at the transmission and at various places along the shaft. What we found was that the runout at the transmission was only 0.003" which is acceptable. Further down the shaft, the runout is 0.007" which is above the ABYC max allowable runout of 0.006". Because the runout is worse in the center of the shaft, it's likely the shaft that is not straight. Since there was no noticeable vibration prior to the shaft change, it's further evidence that shaft runout is the issue. Repairing this will require that the boat be lifted for the third time, the shaft and coupler brought into a competent machine shop, and the shaft will either need to be straightened or replaced. It's disappointing to be needing to redo this job.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The evening sun reflecting into the canal, viewed from the boat deck. The period of summer, 24x7 sun in Trondheim is just past now—it's just after 10:30pm and the sun will actually set for an hour or two.

Position: 63°26.62'N, 10°24.42'E

Trondheim is one of several cities along their route where the Hurtigruten ferry stops overlap. We often hear the boats arriving in the morning when they sound their horns and rode the bikes over today to have a look.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.30'E

This is how we get on and off the boat tied to the fixed pier. Sometimes the tide is high enough that we can just stop onto the boat deck, but mostly we use the ladder.

Position: 63°27.02'N, 10°22.97'E

We ran the tender over to Munkholmen, a small island just off the Trondheim waterfront. Ferries run regularly during the summer from the canal where we are moored, and the beach there is exceedingly popular.

Position: 63°27.07'N, 10°22.99'E

The Vikings used the island of Munkholmen as an execution grounds, and a monastery was later built there in the 12th century. The current building was constructed in 1658 as a fort and re-purposed as a prison. When the Nazis occupied Norway, they established an an anti-aircraft base here.

Position: 63°26.42'N, 10°25.23'E

After visiting Munkholmen, we came back to the boat and set out on the bikes for a ride along the Lade Trail. Here Jennifer is cycling along the shorter side of DORA, a massive submarine pen the Germans built in World War II. The building is 500ft (153m) long and 345ft (105m) wide with a reinforced concrete roof that is 12ft (3.7m) thick and walls that are 8.2ft (2.5m) thick. Seven submarines can actually drive inside the building to be serviced. DORA looks huge, but is even larger below ground level than above.

Position: 63°27.10'N, 10°26.22'E

The view back south from a viewpoint along the Lade Trail that rings the Lade Peninsula. The trail is steep in places, and more suitable for mountain bikes, but we did fine for the most part in our Giant Hybrid bikes.

Position: 63°27.42'N, 10°26.82'E

The restaurant Ladekaia is perched halfway along the Lade Trail with an excellent water view.

Position: 63°26.47'N, 10°27.48'E

Norway is the world leader in electric cars, with more than half of new cars sold being electric or hybrid. Tesla is currently the most popular automaker in Norway— we've seen more Teslas here than anywhere else.

Position: 63°26.51'N, 10°25.65'E

We ended the day with dinner at the E.C. Dahls brewpub. The prices here weren't notably more expensive than the rest of Norway, but when our credit card company app notified us that we'd just spent $42 we realized that the beers were $21USD per pint.

Position: 63°25.70'N, 10°24.19'E

A delicious lunch street-side at Kalas and Canasta on Nedre Bakklandet. As part of Trondheim's successful effort to be bicycle-friendly, the city has installed flat paving stones at the edges of the cobblestone roads to give cyclists a smoother ride.

Position: 63°25.62'N, 10°23.72'E

The spectacular and ornate west wall of Nidaros Cathedral, the largest medieval building in Scandinavia. Construction of the cathedral began in 1153 and much of what stands was completed by the 14th century. The nave is a 19th-century reconstruction following several destructive fires. We were hoping to climb the tower for views over the city, but access was closed due to thunderstorms.

Position: 63°25.55'N, 10°23.75'E

Norway's Crown Jewels are kept at the 12th-century Archbishop's palace adjacent to Nidaros Cathedral. Picture-taking isn't allowed, so we took a photo of a painting instead.

Position: 63°25.55'N, 10°23.79'E

The interesting Archbishop's Museum contains many artifacts from Nidaros Cathedral, and in the basement displays archaeological findings made during the museum's construction.

Position: 63°26.24'N, 10°25.00'E

Entering one of Norway's many, many tunnels en route from Trondheim to the aiport for our trip to Seattle.

Position: 63°25.85'N, 10°44.55'E

The beautiful Pusehuset Kattehotell. Sptifire will be staying in one of the green 'suites' on the top right while we are away.

Position: 63°25.85'N, 10°44.55'E

Spitfire checking out his new digs. His 'suite' has a second floor above with a cat door leading to an outdoor balcony.

Position: 63°26.83'N, 10°54.76'E

The Trondheim airport is, quite literally, in Hell. The word means prosperity in Norwegian and is the name of the town next to the aiport.

Position: 63°27.25'N, 10°54.85'E

Having a glass of wine overlooking the runway at the airport Radisson Blu. Overnighting at the airport simplified catching our flight early the next morning.

Position: 63°27.25'N, 10°54.85'E

We're checking two bags with us on the way to Seattle, and will check five on the way back. The bag Jennifer is working on is a large wheeled duffel bag with a smaller suitcase inside we'll use to carry valuables with us on the way back. The bag on the right is a large scuba diving gear bag that contains two more large bags.

Position: 52°18.63'N, 4°46.10'E

We departed the Schengen Area in Amsterdam and James got another stamp in his passport. Looking at some of his earlier Schengen stamps we noticed he had an entry with a train logo from London to Paris, an arrival by boat into Harlingen and a departure by plane from Tromso. We have to rent a car and cross the Schenger Border to complete the set. :)

Position: 47°36.66'N, -122°20.94'W

Looking across our old home port of Bell Harbor Marina with downtown Seattle in the background. It was an awesome place to call home.

Position: 47°36.22'N, -122°20.12'W

While James was at the office, Jennifer went to our UPS mailbox to pickup our mail. All those packages are for us, plus a load more behind the table.

Position: 47°36.97'N, -122°19.90'W

We managed to condense the contents of most of our packages into four large suitcases, a cardboard box with several items that were too long to fit in the suitcases, and a carry-on for small, valuable items we don't want to check. That was a load to get back to the hotel, and will be a big job to get through the airports and back to the boat in Norway.

Position: 63°25.85'N, 10°44.55'E

Spitfire enjoying some down-time in his poster bed at "the resort". The Pusehuset Kattehotell is among the nicest place he's stayed at so far.

Position: 47°39.61'N, -122°22.30'W

At MFCP (Motion Flow Control Products) in Ballard to purchase some bulk hydraulic host and field-serviceable fittings, plus have them make four new hoses to replace the crane hoses that failed while we were in the Lofotens.

Position: 47°36.22'N, -122°20.12'W

One of our two new Accu-Steer HPU 200-24 steering pumps at our UPS mailbox in Seattle awaiting pickup for air freight. We'd ordered two new pumps weeks ago from Emerald Harbour Marine in Seattle after our primary pump failed. We'll air freight one to Trondheim, Norway and ship the second by sea freight to Amsterdam. We were hoping we might bring the first pump back as luggage, but it weighs about 92 pounds with packaging and our checked bag weight limit is 70.

The Emerald Harbour Marine team did the commission work on Dirona for PAE and did all the original installation work for us. Most of that equipment is still running strong, 10,000 hours and 9 years later. What's more amazing is they continue to help us to this day. Difficult-to-find parts or getting things to us in remote locations is Kelly Maxson's specialty at Emerald Harbor Marine. EHM also installed the furnace on our first boat back in 1999. They've been helping us for nearly 20 years and we really appreciate it.

Position: 47°36.75'N, -122°21.18'W

We love grabbing a drink on the deck at the Edgewater Hotel to watch the cruise ships leave Pier 66 bound for Alaska. Here you can almost touch Norwegian Bliss as it pulls off the dock.

Position: 47°36.74'N, -122°20.31'W

Several downtown streets were closed off today for the Torchlight Run preceding the Torchlight Parade, part of the annual Seafair celebration in Seattle.

Position: 47°36.82'N, -122°19.71'W

Relaxing street-side at, Rumba, one of our favourite Capitol Hill stops.

Position: 47°36.58'N, -122°20.59'W

At the recently opened Old Stove brew pub in Pike Place Market, with its great view across the Seattle waterfront. It was actually too hot today for us to sit outside.

Position: 63°25.85'N, 10°44.55'E

Spitfire enjoying the view from the balcony attached to his suite at Pusehuset Kattehotell just outside Trondheim, Norway.

Position: 47°36.22'N, -122°20.12'W

In addition to shipping one steering pump air freight to Trondheim, Norway to keep Dirona underway, we're shipping the second pump by sea freight to Amsterdam where we'll be staying this winter. We also included a few bulkier or heavier items that we didn't have space to carry back with us on the airplane, including a replacement upholstery set for our Stidd helm chair, a spare Lenovo monitor, an water pump accumulator tank, an LED deck light, a loudhailer and two axial engine room fans.

We brought everything together at our UPS mailbox, who built the pallet for us. We've arranged to have it sea freighted to the Netherlands and stored there temporarily until we arrive into Amsterdam later this year. We've been doing business with the UPS store on 1st Ave in Seattle for more than 10 years now and we just love them.

Position: 47°26.90'N, -122°18.42'W

At the airport checking our bags through. Hopefully they will all arrive safely in Trondheim when we do. On a return trip from New Zealand, one of our bags went missing. It was full of spare parts, plus a couple of cameras. It might have just been coincidence, but we've since carried any valuable consumer items with us instead of in checked luggage. Hence the carry-on bag Jennifer is holding, containing two new navigation computers and a backup laptop.

Position: 47°26.90'N, -122°18.42'W

James was invited up front to see the cockpit of the Airbus A330-300 and got a chance to sit in the pilot seat. Modern glass cockpits are really nice. The last time he was in a cockpit was a 747-400 with row after row after row of analog guages and switches.

Position: 52°28.20'N, 4°47.64'E

Looking east from the plane to the sea locks that protect the waterway leading to Amsterdam. We'll land in Amsterdam and then connect through from there directly to Trondheim.

Position: 63°27.27'N, 10°55.03'E

All our bags came through unscathed from Seattle to Trondheim. It's great to be back—we're ready to board a taxi, pickup Spitfire and return back to Dirona. We'll need a big taxi for this load though.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Unpacking all our loot while Spitfire investigates. Most will be stowed, but we've got several projects built up waiting for parts.

As commonly happens with our luggage, we found TSA inspection notices in the cardboard box and one of the bags. But the contents are always carefully repacked and we've never suffered any damage as a result of the inspections.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The Salomon Quest hiking boots we'd bought back in Dunedin, New Zealand four years ago were getting pretty tired when we arrived in Norway, and were completely done in by the time we did our hike to 4770 ft (1454 m) Helgelandsbukken. We'd been trying to buy new ones locally, but couldn't find any as good as the ones we already had. So we ended up ordering new pairs from Amazon almost identical to what we had before and brought them back with us to Trondheim.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The approach we'd taken with our previous navigation computer was to build it from components and carry a full set of spares, including memory, CPU, network cards, disk drives and two mother boards. Over its six-year life we've replaced almost all those parts and the system is so old it's now getting dangerous to install any hardware-related software system update. We'd already ordered a replacement when the boot drive started failing in Bodo and packed it in completely in Trondheim. It's been nice to have the spare parts, but chasing those issues has been time-consuming.

With the new navigation computer, we're going to a different model. We've purchased a Lenovo ThinkStation P320 Tiny and a backup. If one fails, we'll just re-image the spare and continue. The P320 Tiny really is small—that's the whole computer sitting on top of our old nav computer, which wasn't all that big either. We've got both up and running together while we setup the new system.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

With the period of summer, 24x7 sun in Trondheim is past now, we're starting to see our first sunrises for months. This is the sky behind us just past 4:30am.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

James working on replacing the dishwasher main conduit with a replacement part we brought back from Seattle while Spitfire inspects the work.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

One of the long items that went in the cardboard box we brought back was a Maretron TLM100 focus tube for the black water tank. The focus tube is essentially a tube that extends to near the bottom of the tank with small holes in the bottom to allow fluid to enter and one at the top to allow the fluid level in the tube to equalize with the surrounding tank. This approach prevents toilet paper floating on the top of the effluent from scattering the ultrasonic beam being used to measure the fluid level.

We have used the TLM100 with great results on our freshwater and grey water tanks but it rarely works on the black water tank. Over the years, we have found there are some types of toilet paper that seem to work well and allow a good level reading but, since we're never in the same region long and we haven't come up with any reliable way of telling if a toilet paper was going to sink and/or breakdown quickly, we generally get poor results in reading black water level. The focus tube seems to have solved this issue and we're getting very stable and accurate readings. What remains to be seen is how long an aluminum tube lasts in the caustic environment of a black water tank. So far, we're impressed with how well it's working and wish we had made this change years ago.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The fuel gauge on our new tender is an analog gauge that reads poorly. We want to move to a Maretron TLM150 NMEA2000 gauge to match the rest of the tender electronics and we're hoping for more accurate level readings. The tank is very shallow and long, so it's a hard tank to read levels in accurately and it's made more difficult by the angle of the tank changing in operation.

The existing tank sensor uses a 1.5" screw-in thread and someone at the AB factory has been spending too much time in the weight room. James applied enormous force on that sensor and it simply wasn't even going to come out. So in Seattle we picked up a 2" socket so we could apply more force and get this job done.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Even with a correct-fitting socket, we couldn't apply enough force in the restricted area inside the tender console to get the fuel sensor out. We eventually applied a Milwaukee impact wrench that we know from past experience has sufficient power to twist off a 3/4" steel stud. It eventually did the job and we got the analog fuel sensor out, but the required forces were astronomical. We can now screw in the Maretron 1.5" thread to SAE 5 bolt adapter, size and install the focus tube, and finally, install the TLM150 to measure gasoline level.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Earlier we explained how the focus tube helps an ultrasonic sensor get reliable black water readings. In a fuel application, the fuel is without floating debris but the focus tube still adds a couple advantages: 1) allows the sensor to only see reflections from directly below the sensor (hence the name "focus" tube), and 2) the sensor is also spaced 2" above the tank top. This feature is referred to as dead-band elimination. Ultrasonic sensors have trouble reading levels where there is very little space between the sensor and the fuel level. This is solved by extending the focus tube up 2" so that "full" is actually 2" below the sensor where it can accurate read the level.

We bought a Maretron adapter to install it, but the inside hole was manufactured too small to allow the focus tube installation. So we needed to remove the adapter from the tank, re-machine the inside hole, test it, and re-install the assembly.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The final TLM150 installed on the tender at top right. We'll have to drain the tank and calibrate it before it's fully operational. We know from past experience the TLMs are quite accurate, but it remains to be seen how well it does with a long, shallow tank where the angle changes in operation as the tender goes on plane.

Position: 63°25.97'N, 10°24.41'E

We took a break from installing all the new gear to have a birthday dinner for James canal-side at CowSea.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

We've mostly got the new navigation computer up and running, except for our chart-plotter TimeZero. The 3.3 version we're installing is more recent than the version on the old computer and includes a database format upgrade that fails in trying to process our existing data. We also tried importing an exported copy of the data, but that ran overnight and seemed to be hung. We suspected that the large size of our track data was the culprit.

In order to get the old system back running again, we hooked up a spare monitor. To recover the data, we brought up TimeZero on the old computer, deleted all the tracks, re-exported the rest of the data and transfered it over to the new system. This worked, and we then imported the tracks via GPX files created from the ones we post to the web site.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Our new steering pump finally arrived via air freight today. It was sent five-day UPS air freight but took ten days. Nonetheless, were still very happy to see it and will install it over the weekend.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

We ran a trailer strap around the steering pump box and through a looped line to crane the package down to the swim step.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Our new Accu-Steer HPU 200-24 is a beast. After talking to many in the industry, we've learned the Accu-Steer HPU-212 200 pumps we have installed basically are a very poor pump and there have been many reports of early failure due to bearing failure and oil leaks. The HPU-200 and HPU-300 have excellent reputations so we went with the HPU-200 as a replacement, which has the same output as the HPU-212 200 but has a reputation of being a better built pump.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

When we had the temporary monitor out to work through the TimeZero issues, we realized it was much brighter than our leftmost monitor, which has been in place for eight years. In fact, when we looked closely, we could see a ghost of all the text on the screen displayed slightly offset and making the text look fuzzy. We swapped out the monitors and the new one is sharp and bright.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The old nav computer had an external off/on switch that we used for manual resetting of the system and our automation system used to force a reboot if the system locked up or was otherwise unresponsive. This worked well, but the new nav computer has no provision for an external reset switch. We could take it apart and install one but that defeats the primary goal of the approach we are taking with the new computer. We want it to be a single simple system with all devices and all disks except the boot disk external. The idea is we can just drop in a replacement in minutes if there is a failure.

So, sticking to that goal we needed a way force a reset without being accessing the power or reset lines inside the system. What we did was construct a relay-controlled 120V power socket that the old manual reset switch controls and the control system can use for an automatic reset switch. The new approach is functionally identical, but requires no changes to the Lenovo P320 Tiny computer.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Evidence that we were down to minutes to go before the steering pump stopped operating, this is the steering oil. It's normally bright red automatic transmission fluid but what was in there was ruby to light brown. What has happened is the both pumps have experienced bearing failure. Apparently they can last just about exactly 4,900 hours. The first symptom is slightly more noise. The next symptom is a minor oil leak. What happened next is one pump started to run slower and slower as the bearing bound up so we stopped using it. Then the other pump began to run slower as its bearing bound up. But, it wasn't yet leaking, so we stuck with that pump.

Then one winding burned out on the armature which meant if the pump was stopped in that position, it wouldn't restart. But usually it stopped in another position and kept working fine. If it refused to start, it would start fine if the motor was turned a few degrees. But after a couple of weeks all the windings burned out and we switched to the other pump. It kept running but was sufficiently hot to darken the oil. These pumps are toast.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The new steering pump temporarily mounted so we can test with it.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

This is one of the many examples of PAE attention to detail. We have a dual steering pump system where one pump is new and the backup pump is operational but leaks quite a bit. The PAE-designed steering manifold allows either pump to be removed from the system by closing valves. This stops the leak and allows the new pump to operate completely independently from the backup pump if needed. We could even have one pump entirely off the boat and being worked upon while we continue to operate on the other pump. It's a really nice design and make the boat MUCH easier to service.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The system bled quickly and was easy to get running again. The new pump works perfectly and we now are back to one good pump and a leaking backup. Our second new pump is on the way to the Netherlands via less-expensive sea freight and we'll receive and install it when we're in Amsterdam over the winter. When we change it, we'll also change the oil again to get back to nice clean red fluid.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The new pump is unfortunately slightly larger that the old pump and won't fit in the same way, parallel to the stern. But we were able to mount it on a slight angle with 1/4" clearance between the SCUBA compressor and nearby bulkheads.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.30'E

This is the second time that James has bumped his head and broken the fixture of this light in the lazarette. Last time he replaced it, so he could bump his head again. This time, it's coming down. We have ample fluorescent lights and several additional LED floodlights, brightly illuminating the lazarette, so this light is unnecessary.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The new Lenovo ThinkStation P320 Tiny navigation computer in place inside the case of the old computer. It's so small! We kept the old computer case as a platform to support the chargers, telephone and other accessories mounted higher in that cabinet.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

Jennifer unpacking our folding cart to make a couple of big grocery shopping trips before we leave Trondheim. You can see beautiful large ropes behind Jennifer. The business that owns the warehouse behind sells to the fishing industry and their warehouses are full of interesting goods. But they have a particularly large amount of ropes in various sizes.

Position: 63°26.11'N, 10°24.69'E

Filling our cart at the excellent Meny grocery store in Solsiden Mall. The tan grocery bags are Earthtote Reusable Bags from reuseit.com. We love them—they last super-well (we've never replaced one yet), we can pack them right to the top, and they can handle very heavy loads. When transferring groceries to the boat (and sometimes to the dinghy first), it's much more convenient to have a few large sturdy bags than many smaller ones that might rip and risk dropping items in the water. We fill the bags as we shop with the cart, partly to keep things organized, but also to maximize what we can carry and speedup the checkout process.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

The Raspberry Pi mounted above the helm (at center directly below the two vertical black hoses) is the original one that was put into production on Dirona during our 2015 Indian Ocean crossing. It picked up more features, more connections, and become an error prone mess of directly-connected wires. James made a mistake working on it and damaged the Pi—this is the first Pi damaged in production while working on it, but it was a hard one to change. The other three Raspberry Pis on the boat connect all signalling with a single 40 pin ribbon cable so they can be changed in 5 minutes. All we have to to is switch the signal cable, power cable, networking cable, and storage to make a new one operational.

Since the original Pi needed to be changed, James redesigned the system to be as simple as the others. It took more than a half day to get it into a plugable form. Then the job ended up growing to a full day since two of the spare Pis had manufacturing defects. One had pins 6, 7, & 8 with faulty pull-up resistors and the other had pin 20 with a faulty pull-up resistor. This shouldn't have taken more than a few minutes to figure out but he naively assumed that "new" meant working and gave up a lot of time. Lesson learned: test before installing.

Position: 63°26.01'N, 10°23.29'E

While installing the new Raspberry Pi, James caught the storage card on the edge of the case and broke it when snapping the new Pi into place. He has a backup memory image, so it's not much work to replace the storage, but it does take time to transfer the entire contents to a new storage card.

Position: 63°26.14'N, 10°23.78'E

On our way back from dinner, we noticed someone working at a metal forge in one of the waterfront buildings and stopped in to chat. He was generous with his time and showed us in detail how he was making a knife. What he was doing is folding steel back on itself and pounding it flat with the press to the left. He was repeating this process many times for both strength and the pattern it formed. He would then drive a chisel through the center of the folded steel block, making the pattern more interesting. Then he would form the final blade and acid etch it to bring out the pattern.

Position: 63°26.00'N, 10°23.29'E

A beautiful calm twilight along the canal where we are moored. It's 10pm now and the days are getting shorter remarkably fast.