Haul out
Persephone... Cruiser/Racer
Nigel & Karen Goodhew...
Thu 15 Dec 2016 17:24
We consulted the marina office at Santa Cruz and also the port officer of the Ocean Cruising Club in Gran Canaria and the directions we received were clear; contact Varaderos Anaga in Darsena Pesquera. We did as suggested and the manager came round that afternoon to have a look. The diagnosis was inconclusive but we arranged to haul out and take a good look.
On Tuesday morning we split up. Karen took the hire car and Nigel took Persephone around to the yard, some 3 miles north of the marina. As Persephone reached the end of the harbour, the travel hoist was ready and waiting and so we went straight in and hoisted out. A reception committee of assembled experts quickly confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the way the "p" bracket is fixed into the boat, that the propeller is well worn and that vibration from the blades might have caused a slight leak alongside it where it passes through the skin of the hull.
Almost immediately, Persephone was blocked off in a cradle and a grinder deployed to cut around the p bracket to start the drying process. The damp area inside the boat was also ground out. An hour later and the diagnosis was complete; a small defect in the lay up of the original p bracket fixing (Persephones p bracket was replaced in 2002) was allowing water to slip underneath and emerge slowly into the boat. The hole was dried, washed in acetone, dried again, filled with epoxy putty and laminated over, all in the same day! By evening, the bulk of the repair was completed. And the propeller had been dismantled, the blades pivot holes sleeved and returned to be mounted back on the boat. No manana culture here!
Nigel has spent today preparing the keel and rudder for a fresh coat of antifouling and the sprayers are coming in the morning (Friday) to complete the process. We ought to be back in the water on Mondayc morning.
We will go back into Santa Cruz and victual for Christmas. And it's starting to look as if Tim might be able to join us again over the festive period.
Here's hoping we can get the arrangements made.
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