Log XLVI - What can you find in the fuel tanks

In my previous post, I mentioned about the loss of engine power i.e. low RPM, and suspected that it might be the bacterial in the diesel that was causing the problem. The Volvo Penta mechanic was very professional and kind to advise me a cheap and effective way to find out the cause.

The test method is to simply use an alternative source of diesel instead of from the fuel tanks. If the engines can operate normally with the alternative fuel source, then we can be very sure that the fuel is the culprit.

Here was how the preparation went. Firstly we had to get a small fuel tank and some clean diesel from the petrol station. I thought this was an easy task, so I just picked up any plastic bottle I could find in the marina and drove off to a petrol kiosk. When I squeezed the pump trigger for the diesel to flow, nothing happened. Then I found out that the pumps at our petrol kiosks will not work if we are not pumping directly into our cars. The petrol kiosk attendant told me that I had to purchase a metal tin to buy diesel in order for it to work. By the way, Esso does not sell metal tins but Shell does.

I was quite confused. What is the difference between pumping into a plastic bottle instead of a metal tin? Anyway I just followed the attendant's instructions. This time when I squeezed the trigger of the pump, diesel started to flow out into the metal tin! Somehow there is some kind of mechanism in the pump that can differentiate the material of the container. It can only start pumping fuel when it detects metal.

After getting my alternate fuel source, we went back to set up the new fuel system on the boat.

The tin can full of diesel was secured tightly using two elastic bands. A fuel hose was inserted into the top opening and sealed with tape to prevent spillage. After setting up the new fuel source, we went out for a sea trial. The engine's performance was great! In fact it was much stronger. We were able to pick up speed faster and could achieve a higher top speed. The clean diesel really made hell lots of difference, together with the new turbo charger.

Now we had concluded that the problem lied with the dirty diesel, the next step was to make it clean. We thought of several solutions of how to clean the fuel tanks. Drill a small hole at the bottom of the fuel tank to let the diesel drained out - but this is too dangerous, the drilling might trigger an explosion. Cut a hole at the side of the fuel tank big enough for hands to go through to clean the interior - but this operation is too time consuming and costly. Eventually we decided to pump the dirty diesel out from the small fuel sender hole on top of the fuel tank and see how clean the diesel we could make achieve.

We inserted a hand pump through the fuel sender opening and push the inlet pipe all the way to the base of the tank, so that we could reach any debris or water which would be at the bottom. This was what we pumped out.

Unbelievably dirty. From far it even looked like mud. And if you take a closer look.

You can only see a thin layer of polluted diesel floating on top. The bottom dark layer was actually water mixed with the bacteria sludge. I was surprised that the engine could even work at all with this kind of mixture!

So we kept pumping until we could see the golden colour diesel.

As we had to properly dispose the dirty diesel to a designated area in the marina which is about 500 meters away, we had to use small 20 liters containers to store the diesel for easier handling. After every four full containers, we had to carry them to the disposal point to empty them and repeat the process again. We made three trips altogether which is equivalent to twelve containers which works out to be more than 200 liters of diesel!

We were unable to achieve the pure full transparent golden colour diesel but it looked much better. After that we changed all the external fuel filters and all the engine and generator filters. It sounds tedious? Yes, it was.

We did a sea trial the following day. With only two passenger load, almost empty fuel tanks and most importantly clean diesel, Artemis 1 was flying during the sea trial. And so it closes the chapter of the case of the dirty diesel... for now.

Log XLV - Bacteria in the Diesel?

It has been a very long time since my previous post. That is because I can finally keep myself busy, not with repairing the boat but to enjoy the boat... at last. However the boat can never be perfect and once a while Artemis 1 will catch a cough or cold, which when given some treatment, she will be healthy again.

Artemis 1 was feeling very lethargic a few days before the virus strike and finally on one fine day, the engine just slowed down. It did not stall but it just simply could not go fast. There are hundreds of reasons to cause an engine to slow down, but the first thing that came to my mind was the turbo charger. Base on the RPM where it hovered around 2,400 and could not go up, I suppose that the turbo might not be working and hence the engine could not receive sufficient power.

And so, I started to dismantle the turbo charger to look at the turbine fans. This was what I saw.

One of the fins was chipped off and a few others had crooked edges. It took me about 4 hours to take the whole turbo charger out from the engine. When I brought it to the turbo servicing shop, the mechanic upon further dismantling the turbo, found that actually many of the parts were worn off and leaking engine oil. The repair would costs as much as a new turbo. And so, I ordered a new turbo from them and installed it back myself.

This was the turbo charger taken out and put inside a NTUC plastic bag for transportation to the turbo service shop.

The installation process of course took longer than the dismantling. And when it was finally done, I took Artemis 1 out for a sea trial. Even before I could go one nautical mile from the marina, the engine slowed down again. That was a new $1,800 turbo and it did not solve the problem. So I decided to consult someone with more experience this time, and also to shorten my down time of using the boat.

No more approaching independent mechanics from unknown sources, I decided to call the official Volvo Penta service agents to diagnose my engine. There were many rumours of how expensive the agent will charge, which was the main reason that keep putting me off from calling them. This time I decided to try it myself to experience it personally.

So the agents came in a team of two. First difference, independent mechanic is usually solo, they will only bring an assistant along when there is a major operation. Volvo Penta sent two mechanics down just for diagnostic. I had roughly brief them on my engine conditions before the appointment was fixed, it definitely would not constitute to a major operation, but Volvo Penta assigned two person to come down to get the job done faster.

Second difference, independent mechanics often dive straight into the part that they thought might be causing the problem - just like I dived straight to replacing the turbo charger. The official agent follows a standard protocol of checking all the basic operations of the engine before diagnosing the problem. This will strike off the possibility that the engine fault is not caused by external factors. And this was exactly what happened in my case.

Some independent mechanics which I consulted on the phone told me that the problem might be the fuel pump, the fuel injector or the turbo charger. The agent however, said that there can be too many possibilities, so they started to check right from the fuel source down the fuel pipe lines, to the filters, to the pumps, to the injectors, etc. in a very systematic manner.

It did not take long for them to discover the problem. The agent found out that the fuel filters were full of slimy stuff which was caused by water infiltration into the diesel, which provided a suitable environment for bacteria to grow, and flourish in this case. The slimy stuff was actually bacteria.

They were kind enough to advise me on what are the steps that I needed to do next. First, I have to establish that the fault is really caused by the bacteria. Second, if that is the case, I will have to flush out all the bacteria from the fuel tanks. If not, they would come back to diagnose the engine for me again. They explained to me step by step on how to test the engine on whether the bacteria was the culprit and how to flush the tanks if it was.

They could of course do all these for me but that would burn a hole in my pocket. Needless to say, as usual, it was time to get my hands dirty again. In my next post, I would show you how we tested the engine and what we found in the fuel tanks!

Log XLIV - Anchored Fishing

Other than Drift Fishing which was discussed in the previous post, anchored fishing is the other common type of boat fishing method. Usually the captain can be more relaxed when the boat is anchored, hence I prefer this type of fishing over drifting. However there are a few things for the captain to take note too while relaxing. Some of the points are repeated from the drift fishing post but discussed here in the context of anchored fishing.

1) Choose suitable spots

Examples of suitable spots for anchored fishing are ship wrecks and drop-offs. Bait fish likes to hide in wrecks and predators will ambush them there. Pelagic likes to hang around drop-offs together with the reef fishes. However these spots are usually confined to a small area. Hence the position of the boat has to be quite accurate in order for the anglers to present their bait right where the fish school is.

Yellowtail Fusiliers often hang around in schools around wrecks and drop-offs.

2) Position of the boat

Positioning the boat exactly at the spot where you want it to be is the hardest part to master. There are two main factors to consider - current and wind. And each factor has two variables - magnitude and direction. The final position of the boat is the resultant of the magnitude and direction of the current and wind combined. Hence it is up to the captain's judgement and experience to estimate the final position of the boat after dropping the anchor.

Diamond trevallies are leader shy. However when the bait is presented well into the school, you will be expecting a frenzy.

3) Bait presentation

During positioning of the boat, the captain will also have to consider where the lines will be blown to by the current. When the current is strong, the bait will be blown away from the boat and will not be presented into the fish school if the boat is positioned directly on top of the school. Hence this leads us to the next point.

This coral trout was caught when the boat was positioned just at the edge of a reef and the bait blown into the reef.

4) Use suitable sinkers

In most cases, the boat after anchored will be facing against the current flow which means, the bait will be blown to the stern of the boat. Anglers with heavier sinkers should fish at the bow and anglers with lighter sinkers at the stern. This is to prevent the fishing lines from drifting from the bow of the boat to entangle with the lines at the stern.

Batfish likes to swim around the boat when it is hooked. The lines will get entangled if they are not spaced out properly.

5) Be aware of the surroundings

An anchored boat will not drift into the path of a container ship but you might anchored in the path of an unseen incoming one. Though the boat is anchored, it does not mean there is no chance of collision. So the captain still have to be aware of the surroundings. It is a good practice to check the position of the boat once a while to ensure that it is still stationary because sometimes the anchor might lose grip when the current or wind gets stronger.

Being aware of the surroundings also helps us to spot top water surface actions by predator fish such as this needlefish.

Feel free to drop your comments below if you have any tips on anchored fishing. Good luck and tight lines!

Log XLIII - Drift Fishing

Drift fishing is the most effective way to cover fishing grounds and thus increases the anglers' chances of passing over a school of hungry fish. However there are a few pointers for captains to take note to make the drift fishing experience a more enjoyable and fruitful one.

1) Position the boat perpendicular to the direction of the drift.

The boat's drift direction is a resultant of the wind and current. Identify which direction the boat will drift by putting the engine to neutral and observe for a couple of minutes. Once you know the direction, position the boat perpendicular to the drift so that anglers can fish along the full length of the boat.

A golden trevally fights hard by swimming around the boat. If the lines are not spaced apart, the anglers will be in for a hard time untangling the bird nest of lines.

If the boat body is in line with the direction of the drift, all the fishing lines will either be swept to the bow or stern,  increasing the chances of line entanglement among the anglers.

2) Drop the lines on the correct side of the boat

After the boat is perpendicular to the drift, remind the anglers to drop their lines on the side where the lines will be swept away from the boat instead of being swept underneath the boat. In most circumstances, it will be on the side facing the wind direction, unless the current is much stronger than the wind, then it will be otherwise.

A diamond trevally initial run is power and fast. If the line goes under the boat, there is a chance that the rod might break if the rod is not handled well.

It is easier to fight a fish when the line is away from the boat, and it also prevents the lines from getting entangled with the fixtures underneath the boat such as propellers and rudders.

3) Choose suitable spots

Though drift fishing can cover more fishing grounds, not all areas are suitable for this type of fishing. For example if you intend to fish over a wreck which is resting on flat sandy seabed. The strike zone is usually around the perimeter of the wreck, and the snag zone is directly on top of the wreck. This means there is only a small window period of less than a minute for your bait to drift within the perimeter of the wreck before reaching the snag zone.

Though drift fishing at wrecks is not easy, they are groupers'  favourite hideouts and sometimes still worth a try.

If the angler is not fast enough in adjusting the length of his fishing line to adapt to the profile of the wreck, the line will likely get snag and break. Therefore wrecks are generally not easy to fish while drifting.

Drift fishing is suitable for huge stretch of coral reefs where you can scan the seabed by knocking your sinker or jig on the reefs to lure predators out of their ambush.

An emperor nose snapper caught while drifting over a stretch of reefs

4) Target the correct species

You can catch any species with drift fishing, however certain types of fish can be hooked up easier using drift fishing compared to other methods. As a general guide, drift fishing is more effective for targeting lazy fish such as groupers, that do not swim around a lot to look for food. You have to present your bait or jig in front of them to entice them to open their mouths.

An orange spotted grouper caught by knocking the bait on the reefs using a madai

5) Be aware of the surroundings

As the boat is in constant motion, it might drift into the path of an incoming container ship or come close to shallow waters or rocks. Of course the captain has to be aware of the boat's drifting route, however he can also remind the anglers to help to keep a look out for any ships that might cross paths with the boat. This is especially important during night time when visibility is limited.

A deep sea barramundi caught while drifting in container ships anchored area. Notice all the ships in the background?

Please feel free to share your experiences on drift fishing in the comments below. All the fishing captains will greatly appreciate it. In the next post, I will share some pointers on anchored fishing. Tight lines and fish safe!

Log XLII - Maiden Trip to Indonesian Waters (Part 2)

After all the preparations, here comes the actual sailing to Indonesian waters. The sky was blue and clear, and the sun was smiling broadly at us.

It took about 2 hours including the time to clear Singapore immigration clearance at Sisters' Islands to reach Nongsa Point Marina. The entrance to the marina is narrow and the water will be extremely shallow if you wander off the designated point of entry. However the entry channel is not very well defined. We almost got grounded but luckily I managed to veer to safety after my sounder read 1.8m water depth, which raised my heart beat a fair bit.

The marina staffs were very helpful and friendly. They were already standby at the marina when we arrived. In fact they almost activated their rescue craft to prevent our boat from venturing further towards the shallow waters when they saw us from afar.

They told us that we were very lucky that we did not get grounded when we sailed through the wrong channel. In case you intend on sailing over, approach using the port side channel when facing the marina. Please do not rely on the sea charts as they do not show the exact water depth at that area.

We would be staying here for the night. Chalets on a small hill facing the sea. My ideal type of chill out.

After docking our boat, we proceed to clear the Indonesian port and custom clearance which took a very long time. We had our lunch at the marina restaurant while we waited two hours for the clearance to be done.

After checking into our apartment beside a hilly road, we sailed out for some fishing.

Dark clouds suddenly loomed above us. We could hear static buzzing sound on the boat and all our hairs were standing and dancing while we were fishing. 

We used live prawns as bait but there was no bite. The rain was not helping in improving our morale but we did entertained ourselves with our witch hairstyle.

Since there was not much fishing action and the weather was bad, we decided to go back to the marina and have a dip in the pool instead.

The following morning, we strolled through a walkway by the beach to a nearby 250m long jetty and found ourselves in the middle of a fishing competition. We paid for two rods to take part in the competition and hoped that we had more luck on shore.

There was quite a big turnout for the fishing competition. The participants had to draw lots to determine which particular spot was designated for each contestant to fish. Some of the spots were believed to be luckier than others.

We cut the left over prawns from yesterday to use as bait.

However the best bait is always live bait that can be caught from the spot. So we tried very hard to catch some live bait fish.

We thought our chances were high with the live herring but the biggest fish that was caught during the competition was this size.

The herring would be a bit too big a bait for this. We left the competition 10 minutes before it ended to have our lunch and prepare for our way home.

When we were about to leave, I got a very pleasant surprise. I saw a very familiar face on board one of the mega yachts in the marina. He is my mentor in both fishing and sailing. He is Captain John Hendricks.

I could still remember the days when we went fishing for days out at South China Sea. He would reserve the best bait for me so that I had a higher chance than other anglers on board. He would teach me how to look for fishing spots, and position the boat for most effective fishing. He was also the only person on board Artemis 1 to assist me when I captained the boat for the first time.

At the age of 82, he is very healthy and fit. He is able to take care of and navigate a mega yacht all by himself. Even diving down into the water to clean the hull is an easy task to him.

This was the most memorable experience for this whole Indonesian expedition, to have met a long time friend who had helped and guided me for so many years.

Log XLI - Maiden Trip to Indonesian Waters (Part 1)

There are a lot of commotions in Indonesian waters recently - Bombing of fishing boats from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines; Detaining of two Singaporean captains when they brought anglers out fishing. The two captains have been detained for a year and the Indonesian government yet to show any intention of releasing them.

It is no surprise that every sailor will think twice before entering Indonesian waters especially when fishing is one of the activities. But after analyzing the situation, I decided to go ahead. There are a few things to take note in order to minimise the risk of landing yourself in a prison cell at Bintan.

1. Singapore and Indonesia Immigration Clearance

Without this, you are just an illegal immigrant. Singapore immigration clearance is applied with ICA. This can be done through your agent which is usually the marina where you berth your boat.

The Indonesia immigration clearance is done when you reach the designated ports or marinas.

2. Singapore and Indonesia Port Clearance

The port clearance is like the immigration clearance for your boat. Singapore port clearance is applied with MPA which is also by your agent.

The Indonesia port clearance can be done at the various designated ports and marinas too. However you have to inform them of your arrival at least 24 hours in advance.

3. Fly Flag N and Q

You have to fly the flag N and Q after you cleared Singapore immigration clearance. Flag N means Negative and flag Q means Quarantine (which also means request to enter port). When we put these two together, they mean that the boat has no clearance and is on the way to a port to process the clearances.

Though the display of signal flags is not so strictly adhered to in this region but it is always safer to get everything covered. You can take down these two flags after you arrived at the port/ marina.

4. Fly Indonesian Flag

Courtesy flag gives the country a form of respect when you enter the country's territorial waters. Always respect the country's culture and people's life style.

5. Vessel Declaration

Actually this is part of the Indonesian port clearance. However if Indonesia is only a port of call and you have no intention of sailing around in Indonesian waters, you can consider skipping this troublesome step. But if you intend to fish in Indonesian waters, this declaration is necessary. You have to submit photos of your boat, cabin, equipment and even engine (with serial numbers), and declare any food, drinks and animals/ plants on board. The procedures are time consuming. It took me 2 hours to get it processed.

6. Be a Friendly Captain

A smile is a curve that can make things straight. If you are lucky, the locals might tell you some good fishing spots.

Hope the above 6 tips can help you with a smooth sailing trip.

Log XL - Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt

It has been 2 months since Artemis has recovered from her major operation. She lives up to her name as goddess of the hunt after she regains her health.

As a lady, and hence the tendency towards the colour red.

Whitecheek Monocle Bream


Leopard Coral Trout


The red bream (again)


Spotted Coral Trout


Lattice Monocle Bream


Coral Trout (again)

And of course, ladies like shiny stuffs too.

Queenfish


Juvenile Longfin Trevally


Longfin Trevally


Sweetlip Snapper

Sometimes we will hunt for delicacies.

Spanish Flag Snapper


Grouper


Big Grouper


Bigger Grouper


Tuskfish


Golden Snapper


Follow Artemis's hunts and learn how to track fish, lure it, fight it and tame it.
All fish that were not consumed were released back into the sea.