Adios Valdivia

Spindrift
David Hersey
Fri 23 May 2008 20:47

23/5/08  8:00

The wind has stopped and there is actually a scrap of sunshine. Later this morning we will make a run for it.

 

Wednesday afternoon Steve and I drove up to Pucon in the Lake District replete with its very own comic book shaped volcano.  It’s probably very beautiful in season but in the rain there area was deserted cold and damp.    Thursday morning we drove to the Argentine border as Steve has been here so long his 3 month visa would have expired before we got to Easter Island which is still a part of Chile. At first they wouldn’t let us through  as we had no international insurance on the hire car, but when we said I would stay and Steve would walk the  kilometre to the Argentine border control, they relented and allowed Steve to drive to the checkpoint and back.  Of course no one speaks English and our conversation with the Chilean border guard was conducted on computer via a Google translator. Like most Chileans we have met, he was actually very helpful. As it was a seven hour drive back, I was glad we didn’t return empty handed.  Demetri had the good sense to stay on the boat.

 

Before we left on Wednesday Steve had to change the light switch in the double guest cabin’s head.  This switch is cleverly positioned in the deck head (cabin ceiling) under the Dorade vent.  Now Dorade vents are supposed to be designed to allow air into the boat whilst keeping water out of the boat. Ours seem to have been designed in reverse and we get no air at all and occasional bits of water which of course takes out anything electric anywhere near it.  We have gradually been sealing up all of these so called vents.

 

16:30

The morning sun was replaced by a couple of hours of thick fog which burned off by midday. We did a final provision run and spent an hour with the Navy to get our “Zarpe,” a permit to travel to Easter Island. The harbour was open to traffic by mid morning. At noon they sent a young man to inspect the yacht and to be certain we complied with safety regulations, although all of the information was already in the paperwork.  At 13:00 we cast off and an hour later were motoring in open sea.  About 3PM I suggested we set the main to see if it would reduce the rolling.  A piece of plastic, some sort of guide cover had dropped down the furled sail inside the mast and jammed it rock solid. It took 90 minutes to clear the problem and now touch wood we are all systems go.   And no it didn't reduce the rolling.  We will be motoring a lot for the next couple of days to insure we get as far North as possible before the next low tracks in from the West.