RV Heraclitus Dry-Dock Message
By Mark Van Thillo

Mark Van Thillo

I am just back from Ensenada, Mexico where a brand new Heraclitus has just set sail on February 23 to Isla Socorro Island of the Mexican Archipilelago de Revillagigedo Islands then on to adventure across the South Pacific.  I feel like I'm climbing out of a sailor's life, my hands are marked with 3-strand rope, my skin still tastes salty and I have a sailor's haircut from a mixture of salt, epoxy, grease and sand-blasting materials.
 

The ship is in marvelous shape and since arriving the West Coast where the support for the dry-dock was made possible after the North Pacific crossing, the ship has had 3 new masts installed, each with brand new standing rigging.  Christine and Nicole stitched all the holes in the main and mizzen sails.  Claus led a team that greased, wrapped and tar-marlined the main shrouds. 

Allegheny Ludlum donated enough 1" stainless steel plate (316L) so we could replace all four bolster-chain plates which hold the mounts to the foremast.  And we replaced about 200 square feet of rotten cement with our reliable old mix and tested out a new product, Sika 1-2-3, which seemed to do a great job on surface patches.

 
One of the newly cemented holes

We got a new expedition boat to replace our old Beagle and named it 'Bladerunner' (its factory name was 'Bayrunner').  It is light (250 pounds) and can easily hold several 50 gallon drums or 6 fully equipped divers.  Two people can pull it on and off the beach easily!  And when Eddie saw it, he exclaimed that it's just the right boat to nip between Gizo and Simbo island, Solomon Islands, because it has the speed factor and can do the 30 mile trip in comfort!

 
”Bladerunner”

We installed two new battery banks, 1600 amp hours each, and revamped the old electrical system with the help of Trojan Battery, Xantrex and Ancor Marine.  We also installed a new inverter system which we hooked up to our on-board computer, our satellite telephone and a charging station for laptops, hand-held radios and the Q-beam.

New Battery Bank

All the bulkhead hatches got an overhaul, including new gaskets.  The hull was gleaming black in a new coat of paint, as are all the bilges.  We overhauled the steering system, including replacing the helm, fabricating a new stainless steel shaft and installing a new cutlass bearing.  The railing was completely replaced and a new set-up for two 40HP outboard engines created. 

The main engine got an overhaul, the dive compressor got a new cooling coil, and the desalinator got new oil seals.  All filters and spare parts for the next 3 years for the main engine and both generators are on board.  Jabsco gave us a new bilge pump and blower for the engine room which were installed and tested. 

We were also given 600 feet of new anchor chain from Acco Chain & Lifting Products and two 300 pound anchors from Anchor. 

The water systems were overhauled thanks to the donation by Hayward.  The binnacle compass was lovingly overhauled by Bakery & Lyman, a new depth sounder was installed which was donated by RayMarine, and incredible woodworking projects were carried out in almost every compartment of the ship improving both aesthetics and storage systems. 

Mexico was a blast.  We loved Ensenada.  The dry-dock people at Industria Naval de California were friendly, generous and very supportive of our endeavors there. 

There isn't very much that we didn't do!!  It was an incredible dry-dock, the Heraclitus has never looked so good and now all that remains to be done is for the ship to continue its expedition and for me to thank you for the role you have played in its ability to carry on sailing. 

 
The team getting ready for departure

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