13 April
Frasersboat
Thu 13 Apr 2006 21:25
A fairly unspectacular days progress hard work at the oars being pushed ever
so slightly north but resisting without too much loss of speed.
The big scare story was the further failure of the watermaker. We switched
it on as usual at about 11 am after the battery has recovered from the
battering we give it over night. The water maker gave out a few tortured
moans before we switched it off. Thoughts of midnight water hand pumping
sprung to mind.
After a few checks and a reoiling of the winding! I realised that the
problem was the pump itself not the motor. Jerry - note if you are still
following affairs, this happened prior to the El Heiro Restinga incident
when we landed there to sort out watermaker problems. There no problem was
found. The problems on your (Jerry) row was probably caused by a seizing
watermaker
burning out the motor. Anyway I had fused down the ,motor because of the
problems we had experienced earlier and this probably saved the motor. I
changed to our spare pump and membrane which as circumstances turned out,
post Restinga, was our original watermaker pump and membrane. Complicated
eh. This is now working nicely but producing water which is ever so
slightly brackish, we'll survive. This problem was also first detected at
Restinga. Anyway fingers crossed we should now be OK for the completion of
our journey.
This may solve the mystery of the missing power as we know now that the
current drawn by the failed watermaker would have been excessive. No low low
voltage alarms in the night now and failure of all systems, hopefully.
Hi Tim here. I was planning some midnight water pumping but at pres am being
saved the work.
Rowing last night was impossible. The boat was rolling so much when you put
in the oar there was no water and i would swing a shot like one of my
cricket shots, a missed square cut, which unbalances and puts more pressure
on the bum to stay on the seat. I'm back on sudocreme today. The boat would
fall into black holes roll and the roll the other way to recover. Even worse
when we gave up rowing the boat drifted faster on its own than when we were
doing our rowing and even went in the right direction. What a put down that
is after 2-3 months rowing practice.
Still trying not to look ahead as it unsettles when we think we still have a
row to the alps to complete first. Still the 800s went quite quickly.
Thanks again to those who write to us as we dont always reply.
Hope we can have more power now the water maker is working better and write
a few more replies.
Not only do have we learned to like cold tea and coffee but now it has to be
with salt too. Some trip this!!!!
Ps all welome to join us in Antigua as long as you buy a round of cold tea
with salt, half a meal and a cracker for pud (Yes 1). We are so used to it
now anytrhing else would be unwanted.
t x