Ushuia - Monday and Tuesday

Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Tue 13 Dec 2011 22:18

13122011 Ushuaia 2 –Monday & Tuesday

 

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                         Late evening                                                                        Prefectura checks up

 

Monday afternoon and Lars decides to start the next job on the list, checking the battery levels. Like most things on a boat, it’s never that simple.

So disassemble the covering panels to expose the first layer of fuse boxes, inverters and main DC battery bank connection boxes.

These removed, he now unscrews a metal panel to expose two of the four batteries on each metal shelf and removed retaining jams.

 

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                    Battteries!

 

At this stage it’s time to call it day and enjoy happy hour and dinner before we head off into town and bring the Blog up to date with help of a coffee and a large brandy.

 

Meanwhile I have had to vacate my bunk which is now piled high with bits of carpentry, wires, diving bottles and other bits necessary gain access to the worksite.

Consequently I have moved into the first class suite vacated by Thomas (Only temporary – don’t panic!)

 

Peter cooks dinner after which Lars and I head to our favourite café for coffee, brandy and internet.

Though it’s still light when we get back we see the first of our Christmas Decorations, its five candles lighting up the pilot house.

Peter’s been busy and below our Christmas tree, complete with decorative balls, is standing on the worktop.

 

Lars digs out the lights and suitably adorned it’s moved to its new pride of place on the chart table in the pilot house

 

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Tuesday -

 

Work resumes on the battery bank with occasional help from me as Lars disappears into the bowels of the yacht

 

Taking care not to touch any of the metal work, which will result in some impressive arcing and sparking with 400amps on each bank,

the first battery has to be disconnected and dragged sideway along its tray until exposed. Now while lying on your side try lifting a 75 kilo battery

out of the hole whilst taking care as not to short things out on its metal frame. At this stage a Gynaecological qualification would have been handy!

 

Around 2pm Karine and Enzo from “Grey Goose” come to say goodbye. They’re off to Puerto Williams and sailing around the Chilean side of the channel for a few days.

Yves assures me they will be back in time for some of my Christmas pudding, and to join us for the festivities.

 

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                           Yves and Karine                                                                 see you later   

 

Back to it and as Peter checks the food inventory and re-stows the tins etc., I fire up the vacuum cleaner and armed with the “Pledge” give the place a bit of spit and polish.

Carried away with cleaning fever and the fact we’d rather be outside in the glorious sunshine, Peter and I don our bathers connect the hose pipe and take to cleaning and scrubbing the decks.

 

Apart from a beer and lunch break it has taken until 4:30pm to check the batteries, restore the electrical bits and replace the panelling to finish the job.

The good news or bad depends how you view it, was that all batteries were in good shape and didn’t even require topping up. If only we had known to start with!

 

The Sun has been replaced by clouds but its still 23C and very pleasant as the icy wind has not appeared and all is calm.

The radio is playing the usual selection of British oldies and Spanish/Pan Pipe pop, no head banging stuff so eminently suitable for us geriatrics.

 

Peter’s gone ashore and we’re left to fend for ourselves. Shortly after he leaves we are hailed from the jetty by Roxanne asking if we want to buy a kilo of King Crab.

Apparently  ordered for another yacht but surplus to requirements. Is the Pope a Catholic I ask? During a chat and a beer as she advises on the best way to serve it, keep it simple!

 

King Crab 002

          Roxanne saves the day.

 

We try to raise Peter to pick up the necessary and join us for the feast but his phone is off. So Lars jumps on the Bike and is off like a rat up a drainpipe,

to the supermarket to get some salady stuff, a French stick and some decent white wine to compliment our treat.

 

 

 

Bob the Blog