Man the Pumps!

Eowyn
Sun 6 May 2007 22:48

 
 
 
 
This update is sent from Rodney Bay, St Lucia in position 14:04.51N 60:56.95W.
 
One of the major frustrations of Caribbean Cruising is the constant problem in tracking down spare parts. This is doubly difficult for a European built yacht as many spares are not available on the English-speaking Islands. You get used to buying one part in one Island and the next part at another .
 
We have had a small number of issues recently which would simply have involved a phone call in the UK for the part to come winging its way the same day. Here it is frustratingly different.
 
Two of our bilge pumps have been giving trouble. One, a Johnson Viking hand pump is simply not available here and the only option has been for new crew Willie and Grace Meikle to bring one out with them. The automatic electric pump is a Whale Gusher 220 and whilst this is available in theory, actually finding one is a different story. Mike and I mended the old pump and I have fitted a bypass switch so I can override the auto circuit and test the pump weekly.
 
After a great sail on Monday morning to Point a Pitre, we said goodbye to Joy and Mike and the next day we returned to the Saintes. A 5 am start on Wednesday was supposed to see us all the way to Martinique but we were defeated by a 3 knot adverse current at the South end of Dominica so we returned there for a night on Pancho's mooring. A similar start the next day meant we could get to Frank Ågren's excellent Volvo Penta agency at Case Pilote, Martinique. Here I replaced some annoyingly defective parts and we sailed to Fort de France to clear in on Friday and buy a spare Tudor Marine battery from the only suppler in these parts, Sea Services whose Jacques and Ciarla were as helpful as usual.
 
We sailed straight off to Rodney Bay and anchored before clearing customs the next day. Again the chandlery beckoned, the time Island Water World again with a helpful proprietor, Ian Cowan - still no Whale pump!
 
After Saturday and Sunday making Éowyn shipshape again, we have decided to take a couple of rest days and go diving on Tuesday before sailing to Marigot to pickup Willie and Grace (and our pump!)