The boat is progressing gradually. The wiring is nearly done - we
actually saw a chart up on the Garmin plotter in the cockpit. It
looks as though it really is going to be easy to use.
Engine matters
Today the generator was running and it was very quiet indeed which is
good news for us when we have to start it up mid Atlantic. The
Perkins engine man came and fixed the idling problem. Elemiah went
out for a test run under engine and that was fine.
Curtis is a hero with the propellor
The team decided that the propellor should have its pitch changed and
so Curtis dived in and changed it. We don't know how he managed it
as although it was a very hot day, the water here is very cold still
as it comes straight from the Labrador current and iceberg land.
Unfortunately we don't have a photo as Ian and I were out shopping and
didn't see it. I am really glad it wasn't me that had to go in.
More awnings
Michelle and Brenda came back with the awning and it is now looking
good. It just needs finishing off. We marked the places where the
grommets should go and that should be finished tomorrow. It proved
how effective an awning could be as none of us wanted to come out from
underneath it. It is much cooler underneath it and will keep us cool
in the Mediterranean. Michelle also took away the dodger for last
adjustments. They should be ready to pick up tomorrow.
The mainsheet block problem
John from Covey came up with a much better idea than ours for fixing
the mainsheet block problem. He brought a D ring with him and we
worked out that we could attach it to the side of the hatch. The
mainsheet itself was catching a bit on the edge of the hatch and so
John took the D ring away and had a new stainless steel fob welded
onto the side of it. This means that the mainsheet will no longer rub
on the hatch - saving the beautiful varnish - and it will run over the
smooth stainless steel which should eliminate most of the chafe. It
will also run onto the winch much better so we won't get riding
turns. Meantime, Morgan moved the Garmin satellite signal receiver
somewhere else so that it won't get bashed either. A great solution
all round
The gennaker
Sandie from North Sails is back from his trip to Bermuda and he was
all for taking the boat out and trying out the gennaker with its
lovely angel. Unfortunately we couldn't as we were lacking the right
blocks. Sandie is going to get those tomorrow and so with any luck we
will actually go for a little sail in her and try out our beautiful
new sail.
Photos
I am having a bit of a problem making the photos the right size for
emailing and storing on this blog. We are trying to fix it and Marcus
is going to change the photos that are already on the blog. This
means that the blog should pull up more quickly as it is taking a bit
of time to open at the moment. Also, I don't think some of you have
realised that the photos are actually there in the blog. I will try
to put some photos on tomorrow when we have sorted out the previous
ones.
Rosemary and Ian
|