14122011 Ushuaia - 3 Prison and Beer
After Lars’s good works on the batteries we decide to
take the day of and play tourist. Its glorious days 25C with clear skies and no
wind to diminish
the suns heat as we head for the Prison in
T-Shirts...
The old prison is and enormous five spoked building on
the eastern end of town which has been converted into a
maritime,
cultural and historical museum as well as housing an art
gallery and several coffee and gift shops.
Each cell has become and exhibition area and the building
itself is part of the display with some cells maintained as they were with
exhibits showing prison life.
Outside is the narrow gauge train that used to take
prisoner and carry logs and stone from the forest and quarry as well as the
steam engine
that drove the sawmill. In another area is the original
lighthouse, an odd threepenny bit shaped single story
building.
Lighthouse
Narrow gauge prison train
One floor is dedicated to Antarctic exploration and there
are many detailed models in the displays.
Stuck in the
ice
Dressed for the cold
Having spent most of the day there, an attack of the
hunger pangs sends us of to eat and then to collect our washing from the
Laundry.
As it is around the corner from the Brewery we pop in to
order a Keg and ask them if they will deliver our Laundry when they come. No
problem.
2000 and Guillemot arrives with an 18 litres container of
beer, a gas bottle plus all the necessary plumbing and sets it
up.
This is to be a test run for the Christmas party and
Antarctica where it will be the ideal solution to waste disposal problems as we
won’t have any cans or bottles to dispose of!
Delivery
First taste
Soon we are sampling the “Beagles” best red beer, all in
the name of research of course and in true expeditionary spirit Peters German
guests
along with Santiago a local tourist guide, join us in our
work. Later we invite our Norwegian neighbours on “Anne Mari” join us, you’re
never alone with a full keg of beer!
Norwegian visitors
To end the evening we watch a firework display from off
our stern that seems to be connected to a very large Dutch cruise liner that has
arrived during the day
Cruise
ship
Fireworks
15122011 Tickets and things
I spend most of the morning trying to change my air
ticket only to find that it cannot be done and if I want to cancel it there is
no refund.
Lars has been down checking oil and water levels in the
various machines. I catch up with him at lunch time in our wi-fi café busy
trying
to transfer money to Thomas who is ordering Pumps and
spares from the States and Canada while soaking up the sun at home in Sao
Paulo.
Peter has gone off on a long hike with his friends and
won’t be back for some time.
Returning to the yacht we set about repairing the damaged
spinnaker pole fitting that had sheared its bolts.
This involved drilling and tapping two new bolt holes in
the mast track and cutting down a couple of bolts to the right
length.
Repaired
fitting
English guests
The crew of the “Mina 2” and Roxanne join us for happy
hour and more research. As it has been another blazing hot
day,
up around 25C, we have taken the precaution of lowering
our cylinder off the side of the yacht into a cooling 14C sea. Perfecto!
16122011 Water-Maker
Today it’s the turn of Water-Maker to be serviced. This
involves re-plumbing the system via large drum so that chemicals can be added to
circulate
in a loop through the system, cleaning the filters.
Unfortunately there is an additional lift pump in the system that needs to be
switched off,
but like so many things on boats it’s totally unreachable
as it’s placed behind the engine and the bulkhead. We decide to plug it and hope
it has a pressure sensor to switch it off.
Meanwhile Roxanne has been to visit to tell us that the
repairman for the bent station will be delayed though she kindly volunteers to
translate
for us when he comes. It’s overcast today and the
temperature hovers around 19C. There is a gentle southerly breeze though every
now and
then we get struck by “Woolly” then sends the dial
rocketing up to 29 knots in seconds before returning to a more placid
state.
Peters off hiking again but at least it not to hot it
could be a bit breezy on the mountains.
The Jetty is relatively quiet after the previous days
activities of food supplies, rope and a procession of 40gallon fuel drums were
being lined up to fill
the tanks of various yachts alongside. Fuelling is pretty
basic as there are no facilities other than a trolley to deliver the drums along
the Jetty.
The fuel is then siphoned out of them and down into the
tanks of the relevant boat.
Late, our repairman arrives and inspects the damage; we
manage to converse with the usual hand gestures and pigeon
Spanish,
as Roxanne had to leave before he turned up. We think
he’s coming back Monday or Tuesday!
Killed
fender
Fender killer
Even after cleaning the filters of the Water-maker look
pretty grubby, so hang the expense, we fit new ones. Christmas has come early
for some.
While in spending mode I look out through the portlights
and see one of the fenders in tatters. On further inspection it looks like it
had caught a nail
on the jetty and with the tide it had ridden up and down
finally piercing it. It’s now replaced with one of our new red buoys.
Filters old and
new
Mina2 and Podorange(ex Challenge yacht)
All change on the Jetty “Mina 2”has moved out to make way
for a 75 foot steel lump. Discretion being the better part of
valour,
as it would have made mincemeat of his Oyster 485 which
now lies tied outside him. The French yacht ahead of us has run himself aground
inside
the Jetty to dry out and clean his bottom which looks
like a jungle of weed. The virtues of a lifting keel allowing such
luxury.
High and
dry
Scrubbing the bottom
Bob the Blog
