Over the years we’ve been in the habit of doing a thorough pre-departure check of our boats. We are following the same approach with Wind Horse. The difference is that the process is primarily concentrated in the engine room as the rig-related issues are pretty simple.

We’ve found, from our own experience and from debriefing others who have had problems, that almost all major maintenance related difficulties can be avoided if caught early. Whatever the problem is, it is much better to deal with before it turns into something really unpleasant. This applies before leaving and while under way.

Starting in the aft end of the engine room we check the bolts on the quadrant/steering tiller. In this case, we picked up 1/8th turn on three out of eight bolts. Not much, but it might be a lot more 4,000+ miles from here. There are six bolts at the base on which the steering cylinders sits. These were all a little soft, and we were able to tighten them between 1/18 and 1/4 turn each. Note the white oil-absorbing pad below the cylinder. This serves two purposes. First, if there are any leaks, we will see the oil against the white of the pad, whereas if it just dripped onto the aluminum we might miss it. Second, catching any leaks on the pad reduces the cleanup required.

Moving forward, the next thing we check are the engine motor mount bolts. These are all OK.

The next project are the series of high-strength bolts in the CX axles between the output flanges of the transmissions and the prop shaft thrust bearing. The starboard engine is fine, except we pulled a 1/16 turn on two of ten bolts.

The port engine is another story. All of the aft series of bolts are 1/4 to 1/2 turn soft. That definitely could have turned into a problem. We use the oil absorbing pads under both CV axles to alert us if any grease is leaking from their seals.

Next are the alternator mounts. These are all OK. However, the idler pulley on the starboard engine gives us 1/2 a turn.

Perhaps a word is in order on bolt torque. In most bolted connections – be it a steering cylinder base or an alternator bracket – the bolt tension works by holding together the two mated surfaces. The friction between the two surfaces is what keeps things from moving. If one or more of a series of bolts is even slightly under specification on tension, the rest of the bolts have to carry the load. If the two surfaces begin to slip, then the shear load on the bolts goes up dramatically. This eventually leads to broken bolts, enlarged threads, and a host of other problems. So, tightening that last 1/8 of a turn on the fourth of four bolts could save a huge amount of hassle later on.

One of the ways in which we get a really good look at things is by doing a thorough cleaning of the machinery and bilges. We like the engine room as clean as the interior. But more important, the wiping down process brings potential areas of chafe into view, and gives us an early warning on leaks.

We’re OK chafe-wise – that’s been well handled by now. However, the port engine air intake has a slight oil leak from the crank vent. This is not an operational problem. However, it does leave an unsightly trail down the engine block. We’ll need to deal with the seal on the air intake when we get back to California.

The forward outboard corner of the starboard engine shows a small amount of oil. We’re not sure if this is left over from an earlier leak, now dealt with, or it is something new. We cannot see any evidence of a current leak. This area is cleaned up with brake cleaning fluid (great stuff if you’ve never used it). Now, if we see more leakage we’ll know we have something to trace down.

Both of the fuel injection pumps look OK. After having the shaft seal leak on the starboard engine we are a little leery of these. However, the replacement of the pump is straightforward and we have a spare on the way from Deere, in case we have a problem on route – which Deere says is a minimal risk.

We changed the oil in both engines upon arrival last week, so they are topped off. We checked the transmission oil level, the coolant in both engines, and the hydraulic fluid level for the system which activates the stabilizers. All of the hose connections are checked for leaks. They are all OK.

There are a few grease fittings on the boat: one on the windlass, one on each of the stabilizer clevises, and a couple on the outboard motor. All of these get a squirt from the grease gun.

We’ve been polishing the fuel in the center tanks the last couple of days. This takes 10 hours, and we’ve gotten in the habit of doing it before each passage. We’ve yet to find anything in the filters, but we like knowing the fuel is clean.

We don’t expect any serious weather on this passage back to California. Still, we want to be sure we’re ready for the worst, in case something unexpected happens. The first step is to check bolt tension on each of the Bomar hatches. Each hatch has at least one and sometimes more of its dogs which require adjusting. Although we rarely have water on deck, and storm covers over the hatches will protect the gaskets, having correct tension on the hatch dogs insures we will stay dry!

In the basement area we open the coffer dam lids and make an inspection of both stabilizers’ mechanisms. They look OK, with no sign of any oil leakage.

The basement is where most of our ship’s spares and supplies are kept. The majority of this is in large plastic bins. These are held in place by wedging and tie-downs. When we’re cruising locally, some of the tie downs are left off for convenience. They are only really needed if we get knocked down. These bins are all now double secured.

On deck there is not a lot to check. We take a look at the various blocks and shackles associated with our big outrigger booms. These all have wire ties to secure the shackle pins and if the wire ties are in place – which they are – we know everything is tight. We give the fore and after guys a quick inspection looking for chafe.

Once we are ready to depart we will furl the forward deck awnings, and put on storm covers on the foredeck hatches. The engine room hatch will have its opening storm cover attached. This cover allows us to keep the engine room hatch open in the tropics, and keeps the interior dry in all but the worst conditions. We do this to keep the engine room cooler.

Cleaning the forward windows before departure, and then coating them with RainX helps to keep them clear when it is raining or when there is lots of spray coming aboard. Even in the worst conditions this system has worked well.

The dinghies will get extra lashings, and the anchor, when it comes aboard, will be lashed in place so that we are not dependent on the chain gypsy to hold it.

For this trip we are going to rig our "jackstays" and keep our safety harnesses on standby. No, we don’t expect to use either. However, if we do get caught in a blow, and need to work on deck to deploy some form of drogue, we want to be firmly connected to the boat – the same as would be the case with one of our sailboats.

The last thing to be done is to double-check the radar antenna and various vertical antennae bolted to our wing mast spreaders. These see lots of vibration and g-loads (the radar in particular).

The last thing we do is double-check fuel levels. There are six tanks. Four outboard "wing tanks" with 1,200 US gallons (4,500L) of diesel is our reserve and are always filled. The two center tanks, containing the balance of our 3,600 US gallons (13,600L) of fuel have just been topped off in Pago Pago.

It is now Sunday morning. We’re hoping that DHL will deliver our spare injection pump Monday morning (they had a system-wide computer failure in the USA last week and everything is backed up). If it arrives, we clear for a Tuesday morning departure. We’re looking forward to being at sea on our first long passage in many years.