A new rudder bearing - News and Photos
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A new
rudder bearing – News and Photos It is now a couple of
months since the last blog written on 24 July when we were just about to leave
Ione ashore in Fertilia. However half of that time was spent back in UK,
avoiding the heat and excessive costs of the Mediterranean high season We flew back to Sardinia
on 25th August to find that Ione had been moved and now two ladders
were needed to get on board. Nautica Usai in Fertilia is a useful and
relatively inexpensive place to lay up out of the water however it is also a
slightly depressing place as much of the hard standing is occupied by boats
which will never see the water again! We had agreed to delay
launch for a few days and had hired a Fiat 500 to visit a bit of inland
Sardinia. We get to know the coast of Europe pretty well but know less of the
inland areas.
First stop was Bosa, only
about 20 miles south of Fertilia but rather more by the roundabout route which
we took, picking wild figs by the roadside. We stayed in a delightful agriturismo, basically a farmhouse with
some guest accommodation. In this case four rooms but we were the only guests.
The next morning we visited the beautiful medieval cathedral of San Pietro a
few kilometres outside Bosa which was being prepared for a wedding later that
morning. The choir were practising and we enjoyed the unaccompanied singing
and wonderful acoustics.
The next day saw us
driving further into the hinterland through the incredibly narrow streets of
Tempio Pausania to visit the prehistoric Nuragi Maiori, a 3000 year old mysterious
structure of huge boulders set in a forest of cork oak.
Then to Agius to visit a
fascinating museum showing life there a couple of hundred years ago and the
dyestuffs used to produce their woollen woven cloth. Again we stayed in an agriturismo. This one was somewhat more
upmarket with half a dozen rooms, several camping pitches and a restaurant
which the owner, Alberto, had been gradually expanding over the winter months.
The communal four course supper was superb – Alberto’s own ham and
pork with local fruits and veg.
Driving back to Fertilia
we stopped at the Santissima Trinita di Scargia standing in complete isolation
and built in 1200s to give thanks for the pregnancy of the governor’s
wife. On Monday it was time to
return the car after a massive supermarket shop and the day was rounded off
with a good meal with Dave and Carole from Moana and Graham and Linda from
Obsession.
On Tuesday 31st
August we prepared to launch and bade farewell to Cesare Usai, aged 80+ who had
started the yard half a century ago and his daughter Carla. We were somewhat
concerned about the boat as the rudder which had been rather stiff before we
got to Fertilia had seemingly got even stiffer during the time out of the
water, however we hoped that a bit of liquid lubrication would improve the
situation.
Launching is always
fraught … but Tyrannosaurus Rex was driven with great skill by Carla
– she boasts five separate haulage licences! Our hopes that the rudder
movement would improve were not to be realised and we found that two hands were
needed to turn the wheel. This left the dilemma as to whether to try to get a
resolution locally or to push westwards to Menorca. With calm conditions
forecast we decided to head towards the familiarity of Menorca. Hence the next morning, 31st
August, we set off on the 195 mile passage to Mahon. With the autohelm
sensitivity dialled down to the minimum we tried to restrict the movement of
the wheel and kept our fingers crossed that the rudder would not jam
completely. And indeed we were lucky, arriving to anchor in Cala Taulera just
outside Mahon after 32 hours, 19 of which were under engine. Further debate then
ensued as to whether we should try to get a repair done in Mahon or whether to
limp on to Ciutadella, the other end of the island, where we knew that
Astilleros Llompart would do a job which we could trust. So Friday 2nd
September saw us again limping west, having spoken to Jaume Llompart to check
that they could do the work. Again minimum wheel movements, minimum autopilot
response. On arriving in Ciutadella Jaume had spoken to the harbour who were
expecting us and we were helped to moor – with the aid of the bow
thruster rather than the wheel – outside the lifeboat berth.
The next week was
somewhat frustrating as the yard had a hectic schedule of lifting boats at the
end of the season and, with limited hard standing, could not lift us. However
we fell into a routine of cycling to a nearby cala for a swim in the afternoon
and then taking a glass of wine in the Yacht Club in the evening. Finally on Wednesday 7th
we were lifted and the bottom rudder bearing was removed. This had become loose
but was not the cause of the problem. Then the next day the whole rudder was
removed with considerable difficulty. A hydraulic jack was needed to push the
rudder out of its bearing.
We could then identify
the problem. We had had a near-jammed rudder some four years ago and the yard
in Cartagena had replaced the original bearing with one which they had machined
from a plastic-type material. They had not cut lubricating channels into the
bearing and over time it had swelled and stiffened. We now had to get hold of
a new Jefa roller bearing. First we rang Malo in Sweden who directed us to Jefa
in Denmark. They told us the dimensions to measure to allow them to identify
the bearing. This we did and by that evening Jefa had sent us three engineering
drawings of a Malo 37 and prices, but warning us that they shut on Fridays at
lunchtime for the weekend, so any order would have to be placed first thing the
next day. In consultation with
Jaumes Llompart, both senior and junior, we agreed that the part was right and
placed the order. Within a couple of hours we had the bill paid, a despatch
note and a tracking number from Denmark. Wonderful efficiency by Jefa. By now we were becoming
quite good at living on the boat on dry land, living up a ladder and using a
bucket for all sorts of purposes as well as washing up. Sunday was considerably
enhanced by going over to Mahon for an evening barbecue with Dereka Boas, Jason
and Aisha and the three grandchildren. We were also able to borrow
Dennis’ car for the week which gave us a new freedom to explore:
The Naveta de Tudons, an
ossuary built in about 1400 BC and used as a communal grave for 500 years.
Extraordinary similarity with the Nuraghe of Sardinia.
And the gardens of Lithica,
an ‘Eden Project’ of local flora built in old worked-out quarries
deep below the level of the surrounding land.
The sheer scale of the
quarries was mind blowing. Inevitably during that
time we had been watching the progress of our parcel as it made its way from
Denmark to Menorca via Germany, Barcelona and Mallorca. Our hopes were
variously raised then dashed. Finally the bearing arrived on the afternoon of
Wednesday 14th September, the driver having got lost on the previous
day! Much hammering and
banging ensued as the old plastic bearing was broken out and the rudder tube
smoothed to take the new piece. Finally at 1930 the new bearing slotted into
the rudder tube and we all celebrated over a beer.
Thursday 15th
September marked three weeks from getting back onto Ione and was a day of
relief as the rudder slid gently back into position and Jaume started to
antifoul the boat with his new sprayer. We had decided that we would get a
couple of coats of antifouling put on now that we were out of the water, to
save having to be lifted early in the new year, and with the plan of being
antifouled by Astilleros Llompart when we are in Menorca next August. On land the wheel was
finger light but the real test came when we were launched on Friday and motored
to the Club to take on fuel. Again finger light – so much so that the
wheel felt almost disconnected from the rudder. We realised that the rudder
bearings must have been gradually getting more and more stiff over time but so
gradually that we had barely noticed the change from day to day – like
going grey, or so I am told! A mistral had been
blowing through to the north east of us and the swell was due to increase so we
decided to go straight to Mallorca on Saturday, and so we had to give many of
our favourite Menorcan calas a miss for this year. We made an uneventful
passage to Porto Colom on the east coast of Mallorca, stopping for a swim in
the beautiful Cala Magraner. Two years previously we had eaten well at La Lotje
in Porto Colom so we again repeated the experience and were not disappointed.
We had now made up enough
time to be confident of getting to Palma to meet Simon and Aurélie on Thursday
so we booked a night in Cabrera. Beautiful as always, water at 26 degrees,
warmer in than out at sunrise. The only issue was the outboard motor which
refused to start until the whole carburettor system had been dismantled,
cleaned and reassembled. This 2 stroke Tohatsu is now very ancient and rusty,
has been sunk in the Solent and owes us nothing. We will have to replace it
very soon and this will mean getting a heavier 4 stroke. From Cabrera we
considered an anchorage on the east side of Palma bay but with the wind and
swell from the wrong direction we decided to go into the marina at La Rapita.
We have been in here before – it is convenient and has a good chandler
but otherwise has little to offer, being uninspiring and expensive. However our
visit was enlivened by a sociable evening on board with two other sailing
couples including Jeff Kempton, the Cruising Association HLR for Mallorca, whom
I had been hoping to meet for some time. Today we planned to
anchor in Cala Portals but the skies darkened and the heavens opened making a
cala anchorage less than attractive. Instead we came straight to Palma and are
now booked in for three nights in the Real Club Nautico in our favourite berth
right by the clubhouse and swimming pool. We now look forward to a
couple of domestic days, provisioning, laundry etc before Simon & Aurélie
arrive at midnight on Thursday to be with us for a week before flying back from
Ibiza. Tony & Sarah, RCN Palma, Mallorca
– 20 September 2016 Malo 37 – Ione
– http://blog.mailasail.com/ione |
