Back when we acquired the wreck of the Jag 530 in November 2020, we hoped to refit it and start sea trials in the summer of 2021. So it is well behind schedule but delighted that we finally arrive at launch time and we start this week of sea trials at the end of January 2022.

Monday January 31st

At 7 o’clock, the Escargot leaves her hangar and heads towards the launching cranes, under the supervision of Igor and Yuri from the 360a3 shipyard.

They then hand over to the Varadero STA crane operator who loads the Escargot onto the Marine Travel Lift.

The Travel Lift is a truly impressive hydraulic machine capable of lifting boats such as superyachts and other large vessels up to 250 tons. It is operated remotely by a single crane operator from a remote control.

The first step is to put the Escargot in the water while holding her with the crane. We then board to check there are not leaks in the the hulls.

The first dip does not last long, because there is a leak on the end of the starboard propeller shaft. It is not a big leak, so we complete the tour of both hulls. Everything else seems good. We ask the crane operator to take the Escargot out to understand where this water ingress is coming from.

The crane operator brings our catamaran to a space where we can make the necessary troubleshooting and decide whether the leak can be repaired quickly.

The team gets busy dismantling the end of the propeller shaft and Stuart, our closest advisor and supervisor of the 360a3 works, explains to us that the problem is due to a screw of the wrong size used to fix the shaft tube plate (too small and especially much too short). This plate is not tight firm enough, water seeps in. The decision is made to repair temporarily (in less than an hour), so we stay under the crane and we proceed to the repair with an adequate screw, a new metal dowel and Sika.

We set off again for the launch and a re-check of all the areas below the waterline.

The liquid cooling of the electric motors works with an electric pump circulating seawater in a heat exchanger on one hand and a closed circuit with 50% glycol circulating in the exchanger, the motor and the controller on the other hand (with its small electric pump ensuring coolant circulation). Starting the cooling system is not easy because the seawater filter, placed before the pump, was installed higher than the waterline and the pump does not self prime. With a little effort, we prime the port and starboard sea water circuits, but I take note of the modifications that will be necessary to lower the filters and pumps.

In addition to Ludivine, Octave and I, the sea trial crew comes on board (4 technicians from 360a3 and Agustin, our sea trial captain who usually captains a cruising sailing catamaran).

The big moment is finally here. We are ready to cast off at 10:30, three hours after our first splash.

We first check the electric motors operation, we verify that the liquid cooling is now circulating correctly and we test the hydraulic system controlling the rudders. Then, we back up from the pontoon.

The electric motor control system is very smooth and the motors are quiet. We do a few rotations on the spot in the port to get a feel for the system.

Suddenly, Agustin tells me that he no longer has a port engine…!

Indeed, there is no more turbulence or thrust when he moves the port throttle forward or backward. However, the starboard propulsion is working normally. Going down to the port side engine room, I think I can hear the engine running. We wonder if we have lost the propeller or if there is an electronic problem (rotation too slow?). In any case, we have to return to the dock. Fortunately, the wind is light and Agustin is very experienced with catamarans. He performs the maneuvers in a very methodical way, going slowly with a single engine and the helm for steering.

Once the Escargot is moored and all the systems are shut down, we feel quite disappointed for our first morning of testing. Stuart asks me what I want to do: do we take the Escargot out of the water tomorrow instead of at the end of the week? It’s too early to give up and I intend to find out in the afternoon what’s happening to the port side motor, so we put off a decision until the next day.

The port side motor access is through hatches in the galley. You have to go down onto the battery boxes and then crawl over the batteries towards the stern to reach the motor. I start by turning off the two 96V main switches before going down, because the motor controller is installed above the engine and has the 96V terminals exposed.

Once setup above the engine, I realize the problem: the coupler between the motor shaft and the transmission shaft has come loose from the motor. The motor is therefore spinning freely and no longer provides any rotational force to the transmission shaft.

I then check inside the stern locker and I see rust marks on the drive shaft showing that the shaft has indeed slid towards the stern. The thrust bearing has not done its job because it is supposed to hold the shaft in place and transfer the forward or backward thrust to the hull. On the contrary, we see here that the traction generated by the rotating propeller has managed to pull the shaft backwards!

Our day ends with mixed feelings but an eventful outcome, although we did not have the success we had hoped for.

Tuesday February 1st

Tuesday morning, we arrive at 7:30 am aboard the Escargot. On the agenda: decision with the shipyard team about the next step, then installation of the electrical wires with Octave and Ludivine to connect together the solar panels, the electrical cabinet (to combine the 8 strings of solar panels into 4 circuits) and finally the 4 MPPT controller chargers.

To validate my intuition that yesterday’s problem was caused by a Python Drive that was either defective or poorly assembled, I send an email with photos to RiPower to get their opinion.

During the meeting onboard the Escargot with Stuart and Vicente (the tech coordinator), I re-explain the problem on the Python Drive and we agree that the mechanic will come onboard to loosen and tighten the thrust bearing.

Later in the day, we receive an email from RiPower who confirms that the problem is probably insufficient tightening of the Python Drive on the transmission shaft. He checked with the manufacturer, who confirmed that each screw must be tightened to 17 Nm.

The mechanic performs the correction at the end of the day.

Tomorrow we will moor the Escargot to the dock by doubling the dock lines and mooring the aft to the lines attached to cement blocks at the bottom of the harbor. We will check that the shaft stays in place when the motors are at maximum thrust.

Wednesday February 2nd

Late in the morning, we finalize the propulsion test plan. The mooring lines are taken out of the water and attached to the aft cleats, the starboard hull (docked against the quay) is doubled with fenders and ropes.

We start with a little propulsion push forward to check that the systems are working and that we are not moving. Then, we put the throttle to the maximum in reverse and we keep the propulsion that way for about ten minutes. All is fine, the propeller shafts stay in place. In addition we take some underwater views of the rotating propellers with the GoPro.

One measurement troubles us though: with the engine throttles requesting full power in reverse, we consume only 10 kW per engine according to the BMS. We are far from the expected 50 kW peak.

The tests are conclusive, we have not lost propulsion. We meet up the next morning for a sea trial remake at 7:30 am. The weather forecast promises calm seas and very little wind, which is perfect for our tests.

Thursday February 3rd

We start all the electronic and hydraulic systems around 7:45, we cast off and Agustin pulls the throttles to leave the dock at exactly 8:00. Everyone on board remembers the loss of propulsion on the port side 3 days earlier and anxiously watches the same test maneuvers as those on Monday. Fortunately, they go smoothly. We decide to leave the port and sail around the bay of Alicante.

We pass the red and green lights and are now at sea! What a pleasure to experience our first moments on board, sailing successfully and hearing no noise from the engines, like we would experience on a sailboat.

There is still a very slight chop and we suddenly realize that in the starboard bow cabin, there is water on the floor and on the the bunk! Where does this water come from? The bilges are dry, which is reassuring, all the portholes and deck hatches are well locked and there is no water on the deck and no splash on the hulls at the height of the portholes either. It is disturbing, but it is a small amount of water and the problem is put off until later.

With the engine controls at full speed ahead, we only reach 5 knots. This does not match the estimations made during the propulsion power calculations as explained in the article that summarizes the Research for our Electric Propulsion System. Facing a strong wind, current, or waves, it would be difficult to move forward at more than 2 or 3 knots. Something is not working properly.

The 12V battery that powers the BMS is unfortunately discharged and we quickly lose information on electrical consumption. The BMS display was showing only 20 kW of consumption when leaving the port at full throttle.

We make several tacks to feel the behavior of the catamaran on the water. Everything is satisfactory but it seems that we are a little too light for the hulls. Of course, a lot of equipment is still missing onboard (mattresses, household appliances, etc.) so the Escargot will become significantly heavier with the interior fitting out in the coming months. The weight of the old diesel engines was more or less equivalent to the combined weight of our two electric engines and the 4 batteries. However, the big difference is that we are sailing with 2 diesel tanks of 1500 liters each completely empty. We may have to add some ballast in these old tanks. Stuart and Eric from 360a3 advise us not to make a hasty decision, but rather wait until we have fitted out the Escargot, have the 2 fresh water tanks full and the 4 gray and black water tanks not completely empty either, to understand if some ballast is needed.

After 50 minutes of sailing, we pass the port entrance lights again and head towards our berth. The docking maneuver goes perfectly, very smoothly. Our test captain, Agustin, tells us how pleasantly surprised he is with the ease of the maneuvers compared with diesel engines, due to the immediate response of the electric propulsion. However, he is worried about the power being too limited for the weight of the Escargot. More power would be needed to maneuver in bad weather and to push up to at least 7 knots.

Once all the systems are shut down, we tackle the water problem in the starboard bow cabin. The bunk is partially above the end of the anchor chain hold, so we start by looking for an opening, but the chain hold is completely dry and there is a watertight buckhead anyway. Then, we look at the through-hulls, for the black and gray water drains, but that’s not it either, the through-hull valves were well closed and anyway piped to the tank pumps without any possible leak.

Vicente then suggests looking under the bunk plank. And there, surprise, there is a small compartment normally inaccessible, but which contains stagnant water. It is a remnant of seawater from the shipwreck of March 2017 that has not yet evaporated and which came out while navigating this morning. Two small, hard-to-reach compartments contain water and must be emptied and dried.

We end our day working on the electrical connections of the solar panels. The project is progressing well…

Friday February 4th

Today is the end of our week of sea trials and we are taking the Escargot back on the hard. We are onboard before sunrise to enjoy this last day of our catamaran on the water, before her return to the hangar for the renovations to continue. I am starting to think seriously about the fact that the engines could not make the Escargot move more than 5 knots, even at full throttle.

We have an appointment at 8am for the Varadero STA crane to lift us out of the water, so at daybreak, Captain Agustin maneuvers from the dock to the lifting pool.

At 8:30 a.m., the Marine Travel Lift is set up.

The Escargot is back in her hangar at the 360a3 shipyard.