Spirit of Ulysses completes epic delivery trip from FL to Australia
It was a delivery trip of epic proportions – the longest one seasoned delivery captain Nikolay Alexandrov of SD Captains has embarked on in a career that spans more than 20 years and hundreds of thousands of sea miles. Yesterday, the Nordhavn 76 Spirit of Ulysses cleared into Australia after having traveled half-way around the world from Fort Lauderdale, FL. In a few short weeks, her new owner Kris Townend and his family will move their worldly possessions on to the boat and set sail around the continent, beginning a new life as liveaboards.
Spirit of Ulysses arrived in Brisbane exactly two-and-a-half months after departing Florida May 4th. Alexandrov and his crew covered 10,200 nm, making stops in Key West to clear out of the US.; Panama to transit the Canal and let Townend and his son disembark for a flight home; the Galapagos Islands for fuel; Nuku Hiva for fuel; Suwarrow Atoll for the heck of it; and Fiji for fuel before reaching their final destination. In hindsight, Alexandrov surmises he would have bypassed the fuel stop in the Galapagos. “The N76 can cover easily the distance from Panama to Nuku Hiva with the on board fuel,” he said, especially so given the boat carried 900 gallons in fuel bladders as a precautionary measure.
They averaged a cruising speed of 8.2 knots and an average fuel burn of 8 gals/hour while running at 1100 rpm and with an engine load of 25-30%.
Despite some mechanical issues Spirit of Ulysses suffered along the way, nothing proved to be serious and the boat kept on schedule. (See Sidebar.) Under normal circumstances, the boat would have undergone a more substantial shakedown prior to such an enormous trip, Alexandrov said, where very likely some of the issues that developed en route would have been revealed and addressed. Because Spirit of Ulysses needed to arrive before the closing sale date of the family home in Perth, the schedule was extremely tight. Still, Alexandrov praised the way the 15-year-old vessel performed. “I am impressed [with Spirit of Ulysses] but expected this performance from the Nordhavn 76,” he said. “Her engines have more than ten thousand hours on them, and they ran absolutely flawlessly.” In fact, the crew purposely did not wash the boat stern to determine how clean the engines were running by the amount of soot being generated. After arriving in Brisbane, the stern was still free of residue. Alexandrov’s conclusion: “Use the boat, don’t worry about engine hours, have fun!”
The crew benefitted from great weather along the way, and Alexandrov said the first time they ever encountered water on the foredeck was two days before they reached Australia. In fact, when Brisbane was in sight, Alexandrov admitted thinking: “[This} is too good to be true. It was just too easy, uneventful, almost boring” in its lack of drama. He recalls being about 200 miles from Australia, when the owner reported to him, “Captain, I just checked the wipers. They work!”
Yesterday as he sat in the pilothouse, awaiting clearance, Alexandrov emailed off a summary of each leg of the trip.
1. Panama: The owner and his son had a great time crossing the Canal on board their own boat. Definitely a unique experience!
2. The Galapagos: It was fuel stop only, and an expensive one. Documents, fees, agent, etc. cost $3000.00 for transit only. The Galapagos Islands are a one-of-a-kind place, but it might be better to fly there.
3. Nuku Hiva (French Polynesia): I will remember this place for the rest of my life. Absolutely stunning!
4. Suwarrow Atoll (Cook Islands): We decided on the fly to stop there. It is a little paradise in the middle of nowhere.
5. Fiji: It was a great place to refuel, get provisions and fix whatever system needs attention. Some spectacular spots, but we didn’t have the time to explore.
The crew encountered sailors who had been on their second or third straight year cruising the South Pacific, so the little time they spent visiting was just a taste of all there was to see and do along their route. Alexandrov lamented, “I wish we had more time to explore but delivery is our job, no time for vacation.”
Alexandrov has begun packing his belongings in anticipation of his flight home to San Diego where more delivery trips await his return, but none will quite match the magnitude of this one. “Sitting here at the dock in Brisbane and looking out the window, I still can’t believe it. We did it! Wow! What a trip, what a boat!”
What could possibly go wrong on a 10,000 nm delivery?
In a 15-year-old boat, especially one as well used as Spirit of Ulysses (she’d already had two Atlantic Ocean crossings under her belt prior to this trip), mechanical issues were bound to come up. Capt. Nikolay Alexandrov of SD Captains said if time permits, he recommends a three-day shakedown cruise to allow for minor items to reveal themselves. That wasn’t possible in this case due to time constraints.
Silver linings
An unforeseen work matter forced the owner to leave the boat only a couple weeks into the trip, causing him to miss out on much of the delivery. En route, the boat developed some issues including a leak in the port side transmission oil cooler. Spare parts were needed but in the middle of the South Pacific, hard to come by, and perhaps just as inconvenient to have drop shipped. Owner Kris Townend was able to track down all the necessary items while back home in Australia and carry them with him on his flight to Nuku Hiva where he re-joined the boat. “The issues were easily fixed once Kris brought the spare parts to Nuku Hiva,” said Alexandrov.
The issues
The leak that developed in the port engine transmission oil cooler, original to the boat, was most likely due to the age of the boat, according to Alexandrov. “Fifteen years and 72,000 nautical miles is good service for those coolers,” he said. SoU had 72,300 nm under her keel at the time of departure from Fort Lauderdale.
Other problems encountered were the failure of an engine room blower, the ABT stabilizer system screen, two engine cooling pipes dripping water. ([These were] all very easy to fix,” Alexandrov said.) They also experienced an over-voltage regulator problem in the generator. The issue re-occurred despite Alexandrov performing two regulator fixes in Panama and in the Galapagos. Instead they opted not to use the main genset and leave the diagnosis to a certified electrician upon arrival to Australia. “The boat is absolutely fine without that generator,” he said.
Ironically, Alexandrov became alarmed when on the first leg from Florida to Panama, he checked the oil, and determined that it appeared very clean. “It was too clean for an engine with 10,000 hours on it!” After subsequent oil changes, each resulting in the same outcome, he concluded there was no problem. It was a result of the boat working perfectly!
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We’re you able to fill bladders in Galapagos?