Newsletter from Out of India August 20th 2006
Out Of India
Birgitte and Ray Charmak
Sun 20 Aug 2006 20:56
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Out Of India
Ray Charmak and Birgitte Ribsskog
When it rains in Maine.....
It gets b..... cold! Thought with my Norwegian genes I would be ok, but no.
Fortunately I acquired a great moose looking pair of slippers in Newport
made of alpaca wool which now comes in handy, unfortunately they seem to
attract the flies and mosquitoes mistaking them for the real thing. Ray
seems to cope well which I find a little surprising considering his genes
(must be due to his days at boarding school, I always feel sorry for those
little people I spot around in the winter dressed in shorts or skirts with
stockings only covering half of their white pinkish legs).
Currently on Out of India moored up to a memorial buoye (after a local lady)
outside little Cranberry Island. Meant to go for a walk, but rain kept
pouring and plan B was set in action: ginger wine with hot water and brandy
(or to Rays taste with scotch) to get nose- and fingertips and rest of body
back to planet earth and homemade lobster chowder with scallops. Nice and
cosy and warm again, tried to get into 1776 by David McCullough about the US
War of Independence, but my eyelids got heavier and heavier.... raindrops
doesn't help.... In a desperate attempt to stay awake, time for a
newsletter from Out of India..... the diary queen is back! (Norwegians being
a little bit more direct than the general Brit, I got a few hints back home
and will keep it brief)
Ray and I flew back to Boston on August 4th. Spent the first weekend with
Stephen and Nancy in Norwalk, a lovely couple we met in Union Island during
Christmas. Did heaps of shopping in various outlets and are well stocked up
on Ralph Lauren and others! Left Newport on Wednesday the 9th and sailed
towards Martha's Vineyard. Enjoyed a few nights there, very civilised part
of the world, but a little too busy. We enjoyed our newly acquired bbq and
cooking onboard. Sailed to Marion and Will from Oyster tried to establish a
water leak problem without success. Weather was good and we decided to sail
directly to Maine. Sailed in one hit on Tuesday, via Cape Cod canal to Long
Island. Took us 28 hrs and well anchored in Frenchboro, a very quaint place,
time for stretching our legs. Got some fresh caught lobsters and had bbq
feast back on the boat (hence the chowder.... boiled stock on all the
remains, starting to feel like a true pioneer woman).
Have spent a few nights in Mount Desert Island and Somes Harbour. A fiord
like setting reminding me of home. Very tranquil, like being on a lake. Have
spotted a few seals
and a few porpoises, heard about whales but yet to see some for ourselves.
Had some problems with our fan belt, they started to burn creating lots of
smoke and a little bit panic before Ray understood what actually had
happened. He replaced them but new sounds would occur and after spending
most of yesterday trying to sort it out, he today discovered a second
problem causing the first one and managed to sort it all out. Well done!
Hoping the sun will be back tomorrow and will set sail for Camden and
gradually
work our way south in between all the lobsterpots!
Hope everybody is doing fine and enjoying the last bit of the summer,
Much love
R&B
Ray's comments
I should explain that first there was this strange squeaking noise from the
engine room then a sort of bang!
Switched off the engine went down to engine room and all I could see was
black smoke and a smell of burning rubber.Fortunately no Flames, Birgitte
wanted me to send out a Pan Pan, I resisted till I first established if
there was any danger,put on the engine room blower,to blow out the smoke and
further investigated with fire extinguisher in hand in case there were
flames. No Flames, thank goodness. We are members of Tow Boat US ( Like the
AA for boats), so I tried to hail them,and got a helpful reply from another
vessel who said he was going to be near us and would see if he could
help.( He was a friend of the tow boat US operator who's radio was on the
blink)
Having figured out that the engine without fan belt would not create any
problems other than not charge the batteries, engine was tentatively
switched on and we were back motoring, there was no wind so we could not
sail.Found the local mechanic John Spofford, who told me he was flat out
till next week, so I had to deal with problem myself, sadly it seemed to
take forever to sort out the fan belts a simple task for those in the know
so simple there is nothing in the hand books as you should know all about
it;and despite being told what to do when we first had the hand over and
then again 3 months after on the post hand over secession with Oyster; it
does not properly register till you have to do it yourself!
This was eventually sorted ,after first having a repetition of the original
noise and then seeing sparks fly, when my spanner touched a live connecter!
To think I was the guy that never did DIY never mind my own car maintenance
even when I was a student! Wow what a learning curve! but a great feeling of
satisfaction when it's all working again.
It's not all fun on Out of India, but it's certainly interesting!