The propeller cops it again. Sunday, 09 Dec 12

Tashi Delek
Mike & Carol Kefford
Sun 9 Dec 2012 21:00

As a reminder.  We picked up a piece of fishing net while in Greece with Sue and Charles three years or so ago.  Mike goes over the side, cuts if off.  No harm done.

 

We pick up a great chunk of rope while in Sardinia two years ago.  Mike smiles at a local dive boat about to go out and they happily put a frogman over the side for ten minutes of hacking and cursing until we are again released.  A dozen cans of beer well spent we thought.

 

Last year we pick up a fishing net while on passage (under sail) between Lanzarote and the Cape Verde Islands.  Prop rendered useless so we had to go into a busy and unfamiliar harbour under sail in 30 knots of wind.  Many days of delay while a diver sorted that one out and fitted a new Cutlass Bearing.

Then, at the end of our less than pleasant crossing from North Carolina to Puerto Rico we decide to motor the short distance from Mayaguez to Boqueron and thud, thud, thud it goes.  Working but not happy.

Over the side goes Mike and this time we have a large and very aggressive piece of mangrove root wrapped round.

We took the precaution of buying a very good quality rope cutter so we may well have caught and cut lots of little bits of net and rope without knowing anything about it but we do seem to pick up the big stuff rather more frequently than anyone else.