Comodoro School trip

Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Sat 12 Nov 2011 18:09

12112011 Comodoro School trip

 

The engineer appears bright and early clutching the repaired Generator pump and then disappears into the engine room.

Lars fixes the outer cabin door and then we have a cleaning fit while, Thomas continues his slumbers.

 

Comodoro School 001     Comodoro School 006

                                El mecanico                                                              Fixing

 

Around 1230 we spot an approaching dinghy full of children. It transpires they are from the yacht club and wanted to have a closer look at the yacht.

Clad in their soggy wet suits from a mornings sailing we invite them aboard for a look around and they all seem suitably impressed.

Their lady instructor ask why we don’t come to the yacht club and use their facilities, but having been shown our “Bath” she is impressed by the onboard facilities.

 

Comodoro School 008     Comodoro School 013

                            Welcome aboard                                                                         Guided tour

 

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                                   Group picture                                                             Farewell

 

After they depart with a wave and cheer and Marcelo comes aboard with an invitation to be taken to see Sea Lion colony further down the coast later in the afternoon.

Our engineer appears from below to announce its time to press the starter and after a little coughing and spluttering the Generator burst into life with a rousing cheer from all.

 

Comodoro School 021

                               Marcello

 

We head to the Wi-Fi Café near the end of the pier though the gangplank to get off our neighbours is missing and we have to climb over their rail,

drop of the side of the ship onto the dock fenders then climb up a ladder. This of course is much to the delight of Lars, with camera ready,

as he records Thomas’s and my efforts to scramble ashore.

 

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                                    Gangway missing                                                                      What to do?

 

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                                  The solution                                                                           At great risk to life and limb.

 

At the café we were unable to get the wi-fi to work today and so depart. We head towards the supermarket which proclaims it has a café with wi-fi.

So in we go, but as we’re quite late, its left overs and a beer for lunch. Again the wi-fi refuses to function so while the others go shopping I sit in the Café catching up on the days events.

 

Suitably Lunched, Peter heads for an icecream parlour, Thomas is despatch to book us in to the fish restaurant this evening

and Lars and I head back to the boat with the shopping. Fortuitously at the same time as a couple of crew members arrive at the Coast Guard (Perfectura)

ship who call for the boarding ladder to be installed.

 

Comodoro School 023     Comodoro School 022

                                Barbecue and no fish

 

The ever resourceful Thomas, who is already aboard, escaped the long march back and the boarding trauma by hitching a lift

on a dinghy from the yacht club on his way back from the restaurant.

 

That evening having had a magnificient fish meal, king crab cocktail starter, Languina a type of Cod in a prawn sauce and scalloped potatoes and sweet we head back to the boat.

Thomas ops to stay ashore and seek out some Argentinian “Rock & Roll”

 

Arriving, a new challenge faces us as not only is the gangplank ashore but the ladder to the fender has been removed as the tide has come in and cover it.

Applying the basic principle of levers, we manouver it across the gap and to the side of the ship then while I stand on the shoreside end and think “Heavy” Lars carefully make is way across the cantilevered gangplank.

 

Once successfully aboard he raises it and I follow, its definitely hell at sea. But worse is to come as during the night storm winds gusting to 50kts send careering in us

smashing the ships together and as the waves are compressed  between us they turned into mountains of spray which the wind sends hurtling down the deck.

More ropes are put out and we lose two of our fenders, one disappears completely the other burst like a balloon.

 

Bob the blog