The steering problem that hit us during the trip from Västervik to Stockholm was quite simple. (Everything is once you know it, right?)
The installation instructions clearly tell you to put a cap with a breader hole in the filling port of the steering pumps. But I have two steering pumps, and two breather holes is a bad idea. If the boat is heeling air comes in through the upper, which allows the oil to run out of the lower…
Yesterday I finally got the equipment for refilling the system from Estonia. I had gotten hold of the right oil earlier. So today we refilled the system and tried to get all air out. It was mostly successful. But not 100% since I have now installed rudder endstops, which stops the tiller arm before the hydraulic cylinder reaches its endpoint. This means that the last 10-20 mm of travel on each end of the cylinder is not accessible, and thus cannot be emptied from air.
So to get the steering 100% exact we have to remove the endstops and go through the refill operation again.
Oh well… It’s dark now, that will have to be done another day.
No panic since the sail-makers are down with fever. Trial sails are postponed until next week, preliminary Tuesday-Wednesday.