—Continued from page 47... Readers’ Forum Dear Compass, We recently had the St Lucia BMW J/24 Sail-Off, to get two teams qualified for the St. Lucia BMW Invitational Championship 2009. When we realized we did not have one single piece of paper on board the committee boat to write down the results, we were so happy that we always have a copy of the Compass! Thank you. Cheers, Danielle DeRouck, Social Secretary St. Lucia Yacht Club Dear Compass Readers, We want to hear from YOU! Please include your name, boat name or shoreside address, and a way we can con- tact you (preferably by e-mail) if clarification is required. We do not publish individual consumer complaints or individual regatta results com- plaints. (Kudos are okay!) We do not publish anonymous letters; however, your name may be withheld from print at your request. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play. Send your letters to: sally @caribbeancompass.com or Compass Publishing Lid. Readers’ Forum Box 175BQ, Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines LETTER OF THE MONTH Dear Compass, Reading the story of the loss of the Helen Mary G in the July issue of Compass has got me thinking about bilge pumps. The yacht, a Sovereign 470, sank offshore on a passage between the BVI and St. Kitts after striking a submerged object. After 47 years in the insurance business, I know the most easily preventable claim is a sinking caused by inadequate bilge pumps. Do you have hand pumps that could save your boat if the electric bilge pump(s) stopped working? Many yachts carry one or two Whale Gusher 10s. Pumps of this size are useless as emer- gency pumps on a cruising boat of 40 feet or more. A cruising boat that does any serious offshore sailing should have at least one 25-gallon-per-minute (or more) hand pump. There are only two I know of on the market, the Whale Gusher 30 and the Edson. My preference is the Edson, a single-acting pump with one 2 1/2-inch intake and one 2 1/2-inch discharge valve. The valves are so big all sorts of small crud can get sucked through and blown over the side — to the extent that on an Edson a strum box is not needed. Instead, two eighth-inch bronze or stainless rods should be fas- tened through the intake line at a right angle. The small stuff will suck through, and the X made by the rods will stop the big stuff. Install a five-foot-long handle and you can pump forever. My wooden yaw Iolaire’s Edson has such a long handle that in years gone by (when she leaked a bit, to say the least) the early morning job of my children, starting at about age six, was to pump the bilge. I can honestly say that if it were not for Edson pumps, Jolaire would have sunk at least half a dozen times. If you do not want to permanently install a pump, you can buy an Edson pump mount- ed on a board. It has two hoses, one long enough to reach to the deep part of the bilge, the other to reach over the side. But when you order it tell them you do not want the fancy varnished mahogany mounting board (it will slip and slide along and your foot will slide on the varnished surface). Rather, ask for the pump to be mounted on a plain fir plywood board and the bottom of the board to be covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting. In addition, all boats should have the ability to use the engine’s saltwater pump as a bilge pump. A T or Y valve should be installed on the intake line, one end led to the normal saltwater intake line, the other into the bilge to a good strum box. Some rough figures are supplied in the following table: Intake diameter (in inches Gallons per minute 1 20 11/4 30 11/2 45 2 80 These are serious amounts of water and, most important, the pump will keep on going as long as the main engine has air. Many years ago there was a very resourceful skipper who was having trouble with leaks he could not keep up with, even after he rigged the engine saltwater intake as a bilge pump having made a strum box out of a coffee can. He had called the Coast Guard and they were on the way with pumps, but he was losing it — the water level had reached the engine. He was really resourceful, as he found a spare exhaust hose, pulled off the air intake, and fastened the exhaust hose onto the air intake. By the time the Coast Guard arrived the engine was underwater but still had air and was still running. With the aid of the Coast Guard’s pumps, the boat was saved. Don Street, Iolaire DIESEL OUTFITTERS nv. Marine Engineers St. Maarten John Deere AUTHORISED DEALERSHIP AND WARRANTY WORK Parts, Sales and Service Perkins Overhauls, Repairs and Service to all Diesel Engines, Marine and Industrial Generators Hurth & Borg-Warner Gearboxes Fuel Injectors Service Suppliers of Donaldson Filters Cel: +599 552 7645 Phone/fax:- +599 544 2320 ST. THOMAS YACHT SALES Compass Point Marina, 6300 Est. Frydenhoj, Suite 28, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802 Tel: (340) 779-1660 Fax: (340) 779-2779 yachts @islands.vi La Creole 50’ 1978 Gulfstar Ketch. 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