How I got to Santander 43 25.738N 03 48.388W
Lera(hen3ry)
Malcolm Cann
Wed 29 Aug 2007 12:34
I left Getxo(pronounced Getcho) an hour earlier at 10.32 to get a nice easy ride. Motoring out of Bilbao harbour took about a hour, it is 5 miles, and I started looking for the NE wind. The only wind was about 5kts and straight in my face, funny, thats the speed of the boat.These conditions persisted for the rest of the day, once I thought I had found something but puting up the genoa only slowed the boat a touch, so I furled it again and carried on motoring. Under these conditions tere was no way I was going to make A Coruna, so I soon opted for Gijon, even so this was going to be painful.
I was plodding along the chosen course to Gijonand about 10 miles off Santander when I noticed white smoke or steam coming from the exhaust, I suspected it was steam and the engine was getting a little warm, I backed the revs down to about 1500 and continued to the next problem. Some really terrible noises started coming from the tiller pilot, an investigation revealed that the mounting point was coming loose and was moving around in its hole, this made the tiller pilot only able to steer in 10deg lumps which is a little excessive. I opted for Santander and pointed vaguely in that direction. I was not willing to take on a further 80 miles with an overheating engine and an iffy tiller pilot, if there had been wind I could have rested the engine and steered by cord. A piece of string which holds the rudder in a set position. Santander it was.
I arrived here about 20:00 on Monday evening. I parked on their "Waiting Pontoon" ,takes maybe 4 boats, expecting to have to wait until morning before anyone noticed me. I had just put on one of the bow moorings when a man appeared, in a rib,and said "follow me" I did and he assisted me to moor in the selected berth, and then gave me all the forms needed to book in and told me to go to the office tomorrow. This I think is the most organised and helpful reception I had anywhere, usually they say "stick it over there somewhere" and then tell you you can't put it there. I had some food and went to bed.
Tuesday I unloaded the bike and had a ride around. They have a cycle path, its one way and goes all round the airport, so you can't go halfway then come back.
The supermarket is the otherside of a motorway with no way to cross it close, I knew there was a reason NOT to come here. I'm now in the position of having to live off my stocks or pay to get to the supermarket. Dunno yet!
The engine steam.I had a look at the amout of water being pumped and found not much so I replaced the water pump impellor, this improved the situation markedly. The old impellor had two complete vanes left out of six, the rest were just stubs, I surprised any water was going round.
The tiller pilot mounting had been put in to a locker cover and attached with filler, I have removed the filler and screwed in a wood backing on the hole, then glued it all together with Araldite and finally embedding it all in fibre glass. I feel it is a little more secure now.
Tuesday I had a visit by the local civil guardia, who was very nice, and didn't behave the way they tell us in the Cruising Associations handbook, though, to be they do say it doesn't happen everywhere.
Its raining again today so I'm not doing much, when I get the chance I've got to get Gaz, I ran out last week but Algorta was closed for August so I couldn't get any. I'm also going to see if I can get to the supermarket on my bike. May have to walk a bit of the way! after all we don't want any more 'events'.