Off to Goose Green and Questions and answers
Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Sat 26 Nov 2011 20:03
24112011 In the Poooo
Thomas delivers the "Sermon on the Mount" regarding the state of the Heads
(Toilet). They haven't had a decent clean in over a week and as his cabin is
adjacent he is receiving the full benefit of their odour! I volunteer to
clean them but we are a bit puzzled by the strength of the odour he says he's
suffering.
Lars says "Ah!" and next minute is ripping Thomas's bunk and apart to
investigate the sewage system. Sometime later he emerges from the bowels of
the bilges clutching the Macerator pump which appears to be falling apart
and leaking.
Unfortunately for Thomas all the "sewage works", holding tank, and pumps are
under his bunk and the problem has been amplified by his central heating fan
blowing over the offending area.
The main shaft seal on the pump has been leaking and in turn has rotted the
holding screws which have sheared off. They will need drilling out and
replacing but there's no hope of making a new sealed bearing, so the system
is declared dead and the plumbing must be rerouted. This is normally a
simple process utilising the change-over valve, but not today.
Needless to say this has calcified over time and stripping it down shows the
seal has been damaged and it's leaking after switch over. This is a problem
for after Lunch, so suitably decontaminated we proceed into town
It's never simple and definitely no spares, so it has to be removed from the
system and with a bit of "Heath Robinson" plumbing we manager to reroute,
not before time as there are some strained faces!
It's now mid afternoon so Peter and I rush off to the Bank to refill wallets
and on the way back divert to the Post Office Philatelic Department where he
purchases stamps for the Christmas cards he's been making. We also purchase
some postcards with Antarctica stamps. These are sent from here down to
Antarctica where they are franked and then sent on to the addressee.
We also visit the Fire-Station to purchase T-Shirts and take pictures. Back
aboard, we showers and then its time to head for the "Victory" pub for a
pint, dinner and a game of Darts for Peter and I. We both prove to be
equally useless (It's a long time since I've played) and declare a draw.
It's peeing down by the time we leave and so seek shelter in the "Globe" at
the end of the jetty until eleven o'clock closing (How quaint)
Back aboard to the washing we left hanging in the Cabin for its final "Dry".
After the sunny start, to washday came to an abrupt end with Hail and a
rainstorm and it had been moved indoors to finish drying.
We tidy up ready for a visit by Customs and Immigration at 0730 in the
morning. This will also see our departure off the pontoon to facilitate the
visit of yet another Cruise Ship. Once the formalities are over and we have
cast off we plan to set off for Goose Green and the start of our trip
through the Islands.
Blog Special
My Partner/Fiancée! Shan and her Class have been following our exploits and
we asked them if they had any questions they would like to ask. There was a
very good response with some interesting questions the first tranche of
which we answer below;
From;
Joe - Have we tipped over and was it scary
Yes many times and it can be scary if it happens unexpectedly as in a sudden
Squall. Yachts sail heeled over most of the time. This can make life
difficult, living at an angle. Try pouring water in to a cup while leaning
at 30 degrees to make a coffee! You get used to it though and with
experience and a sound ship all should be well
Dellan - Do you catch fish for dinner?
We do when we can but if you wait for dinner before you catch one you'll get
very hungry. On an ocean passage you can catch four or five if you lucky. We
mainly catch a beautifully gold and rainbow coloured fish called Maui Maui.
Its meat and taste is very similar to Cod (Like you get with your Chips)
Briony - What weather do you get and have you seen any snakes
We have all sorts of weather, but as we go further down towards the
Antarctic it gets far more extreme. A clue to this is in the names of the
areas of latitude, "The Roaring Forties" and the "Furious Fifties" as the
winds gets stronger so do the seas as we go down. The most infamous
conditions are in the passage is between Cape Horn at the bottom of South
America and Antarctica. Any idea why?? The only Sea Snakes I have seen were
in Bahrain, small, with black and white stripes.
Brandon - What does it feel like to be at sea?
Great, well most of the time especially in the hotter latitudes when on a
good day its suntan lotion, shorts and warm water to swim in along with fair
winds. The other extreme as we journey South, it's full waterproof gear to
save us from the spray and waves breaking over the decks, not to mention
Hail, Snow and Rain. Also full thermal clothing underneath to try and keep
warm. But we wouldn't miss the adventure for the world.
Danny - How many Penguins have you seen?
Lots and there are several different types we have seen the little (Half a
Metre) Magellic both here and in Puerto Deseado in Argentina. We've yet to
see "Rockhoppers" but may catch them later as well the larger, King and
Emperor that stand around two metres high.
Jordan - Do you get sick
Not very often thought it takes a few days until you get your "Sea legs"
i.e. used to the rock and roll motion of the Yacht. Some people take pills
and behind the ear patches etc., with various degrees of success. Having a
bigger boat help cut the motion but it goes with the territory and should
not be a problem.
Lewis - Is it scary in big waves
It can certainly be "Interesting"! The biggest problem is when you get a
"confused" sea with two or more set of swells running in different
directions. These can join up to make a real mountain of a wave that can
knock the boat over on its side. This will then send anything that's not
tied down or stowed properly flying and is dangerous to both the crew and
the yacht when heavy items like diving tanks come adrift.
Mark - How many brakes do you have?
Wow! not such a silly questions as those in the know might think and our
favourite.
We have several ways of stopping the boat; though unlike a Car or a Bike it
take a while bring it to a halt
1) We can bring the yacht to face directly into the wind
2) If motoring we can go into reverse
3) In severe conditions such as a Hurricane we can use a Drogue. This
like a parachute and is streamed out behind the yacht to slow it and stop it
being overwhelmed by the seas
4) We can drop an anchor and once it takes hold we will stop
Of course we could also run aground but we try to avoid that one!
Mathew - How friendly are the people?
Very, generally the crew of the various boats are very sociable and we often
invite people from other boats aboard and vice versa so you get to meet lots
of interesting people. It's also useful to exchange information on where the
shops are, where to find spare parts, what to visit and what other ports are
like. On shore we usually meet our locals in the form of the Officials and
spend time talking to them while filling in forms and getting Passports
stamped. Then the members of the yacht clubs we are moored in who we always
find very friendly and helpful.
In the Falklands Simon our Customs man brought us bin bags and took Peter on
a quick tour of the town to show him where the various shops and sights were
when we were leaving his colleague took our rubbish away for us. So I think
the answer must be "Very"
Charlie - Where are you going next?
We will be sailing around the many islands of the Falklands for the next
week or so and heading back to Ushaia at the tip of Argentina for some of
the crew to go home whilst Lars and I will say onboard waiting for two other
Swedish friends to come and join us for the trip to Antarctica.
Many thanks for the questions, we hope we have answer them but here's one
from us before we go ."What colour are the Polar Bears in Antarctica".cheers
from
Bob from Wales, Lars from Sweden, Peter from Canada, and Thomas from Brasil.
Via Satellite Phone