I'm a Dill!

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Thu 20 Nov 2008 16:11
November 20, 2008
Noon Position: 33 23.4 N 059 53.8 W
Course: South Sou'west Speed: 5 knots
Wind: West, moderate breeze
Weather: Partly cloudy,showers, mild.
Day's Run: 65 miles

Well we are still here. After an anxious night checking the bilges every
half hour or so and taking a few heavy waves which totally demolished my
spray cloths - the least of my concerns at the time - this morning the sun
rose, the sign of the covenant arched the sky and the wind had moderated
significantly. I cleared away the debris, got some sail on and started
having a thorough search for the leak. As we punched into the seas the leak
definitely increased. I pulled up floor boards, lifted engine covers,
pulled cupboards to pieces and even started to dismantle some of the
furniture but I couldn't find the leak. As I was standing on deck checking
the bilge pump discharge for the umpteenth time my eyes strayed forward and
I thought 'chain pipe cover'. I went forward to investigate. Sure enough
the heavy seas of last night had dislodged the chain pipe cover and I
effectively had a 3 inch hole in the boat which, when Sylph punches into
rough seas, would almost be like turning on a fire hose and pouring it into
the boat. I replaced the cover and lashed it down so it couldn't come loose
again and sure enough, the leak appears to have reduced to a trickle - I'll
get around to that trickle later when the fore deck isn't so wet.

Needless to say I am very relieved. I had been pondering what I was going
to do if I did have a leak below the waterline, funds are very low right now
so my options were not looking good. In hind sight I perhaps over reacted
to the sudden ingress of water but I think it points to me starting to lose
confidence in old Sylph. I have been doing a lot of work on her recently in
the way of bilge preservation including some cutting and welding but there
are areas I just cannot see or get to. She basically needs a major refit
for me to once more feel like she is ready to take on the world. Hopefully
I might be able to find someone else who wants the job, someone as
enthusiastic and silly as I was just over 10 years ago. Actually even now
she is still a much better proposition then she was when I purchased her.

Bob Cat:

What a night! I am definitely getting too old for this sort of caper. I
did my job though, kept cool and gave the skipper a few cuddles to keep
morale up. Everything seems to be more settled this morning. Now to catch
up on some sleep. Zzzzzzz.

All is well.