Month 3

Anahi
Wed 5 Sep 2007 23:35
All our short term plans have changed ! A local chap, Juan, who has made our stainless steel davits to pull up the rib and aerial pole (which looks like a trident except it's a quadrant) has said he can make our two biminis and spray hood so we are staying here in Motril until around the 18th September and then we'll head down to Fuengorola for the lift out and foul up (anti fouling).The davits do have a small design fault having taken on the characteristics of a bungee jump but Juan assures us that more stainless up the shaft and more bolts should do the trick.

Life on our boat has begun to kick in. No more Jacuzzi baths, power showers or hair salons - would madam like her usual three colours intertwined prior to the cut and blow dry? It's the number 9 boxed special now - a quick daub over the roots in the small confines of the inner sanctum and Bob's your Uncle. It was when I woke up to Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure - Finds and Fixes Leaks - on the bedside table beside the eye drops I began to worry.

The washing machine works a treat, the converted domestic cooker was working well until I realised it was my ankles that were getting the roasting too! When I had cut off the bottom draw which hadn't fitted the space where I intended it to go I had inadvertently sliced off the bottom altogether! By the time the ice maker had churned out enough ice for six drinks it had already melted so unfortunately it had to go. The jury is still out on the bread maker.

Well actually its just as well we are not trying to sail anywhere yet as

the fuel system has developed an air lock and only after two days (in our 40 degrees sweat box) checking every valve and every connection have we finally found a faulty seal on the lift pump.... try removing the lift pump from a Perkins Engine - I would like to meet the designer.. we had to bend spanners in half to get to the nuts, move the oil cooler one inch to the left and it was still like a Chinese puzzle.,,,,,,,,,and worse trying to get it back on again - tomorrow we will know if we have cured the air problem.

We have researched the ratio of bleach to water in the water tank and put in two filter systems to remove the taste and other nasties but somehow we have introduced an air lock into this system as well! The new water pump promising a massive increase in pressure from 20psi to 45psi has also failed to deliver. Oh and the new super duper winch handles hit the stainless bars before they complete their turn and don't seem to lock into the smaller winches.

Whilst most of the intestines of the boat were on display during these episodes and I was cooking the stir fry duck and noodles the hot water pressure valve also packed up - and that was just before the shore electrics packed up -hey ho!

In between all of these hiccups we have driven to Malaga to deliver all the sails for repair and to renew their sacrificial strips, on to Benalmadena to the Chandlers who are liquidating and selling everything half price, then Fuengorola to check the boat into the yard diary and Puerto Banus to reprogram the Epirb as we bought ours in the USA and it needs to be changed.

Gradually stocking up with provisions and gradually getting things off the boat that are not required. Only 14 days until we sail out of Motril - we know we have got our work cut out for us - with silly things dogging us like selling our old cars and tying up all the lose ends - never ending it seems but the good news is the Lewmar folding wheel arrived and its perfect!

The bad news is that although BA Head Office did respond to my registered letter with a telephone call they insisted on put ting me directly through - yes you've guessed it - to 'Customer Services' who promised to 'look into it' and have never been heard from again!!!