Ticketeeboo - Queensway Quay, Gibraltar 36:08.07N 005:21.34W

Queensway Quay, Gibraltar 36:08.07N 005:21.34W

Ticketeeboo

Sue & Alan

Tue 25 Jun 2013 17:02

After sending blog, yesterday, we went to bed (for some shut-eye) but didn't get much sleep! When we got up again it was just after noon and decided to put generator on to charge batteries and make some water. We didn't because within five minutes of starting generator it stopped. Yet another raw water pump impeller NFY (N = no, F = ?????? and U = use. Everyone we know who has an Onan generator has same problems. Cummins Onan fit Sherwood raw water pumps. The impellers are unfit for the purpose because they fail. We have never had more than 160 running hours out of an impeller and this one lasted just 130 running hours. They are crap. I hate the sodden things because there is no indication of a problem before failure occurs and when it does I have to dismantle the heat exchanger to recover all the little fragments (fragment is not a naughty word) so as to ensure satisfactory operation ........... until the next impeller failure. In the meantime Sue says "Is that stinkpot dragging?" Yes it was. Our RIB doesn't have an engine so there was no way I was setting off after it under oars. I called on VHF - no answer. I put our instruments on because I recalled seeing it's AIS info when we entered La Linea, with the intention of alerting the Spanish Coast Guard so that they could do the bizz. Fortunately, when Sue saw three people appear on deck (at the pointy bit) I didn't need to do anything else. Guess the three people were all below decks? Maybe they heard my VHF call, maybe they just awoke in the nick of time. In any event no further need for us to do anything so spent next 2 hours sporting generator, which is now ticketeeboo again.
We had emailed Queensway Quay to tell them we wanted to enter at 1000 this morning. We were on the ball, despite 20'odd kn wind (very unwelcome it was too). The entrance to Queensway is now quite narrow and it was fun moving in with an unhealthy wind on the beam. We're a few days early so they have given us a temporary berth amongst some 30m stinkpots. We think we show them up and will move to an 18m berth when one becomes available.
Cindy & Bob s/y Godspeed met us on the pontoon and we're joining them for Thai curry this evening (somewhere in Gib they found few days ago). We've also seen friends Cathy (Robert snoozing) s/c Twixter. Cathy tells us they needed to do a runner from Portugal after being given a demand for VAT? (We last saw Cathy & Robert when on the 2008 EMYR).
Sue & I went for a wacky cycle ride and presented ourselves at Sheppards chandlery to arrange delivery of our new genoa pole. They kindly delivered it to us at half four. Surprise, surprise, it's not fully assembled and having put the bits together I need to find somewhere where I can beg or hire a 6.5mm rivet gun. These are BIG rivets I've got to put in and they make my rivet gun look like a toy! That's for tomorrow.
So, since beginning of May when we departed Marina de Ragusa, we've put just over another 1,400NM on Ticketeeboo's log (now passed 10,000NM), consumed more diesel that we wanted in stinkpot mode, experienced doing 7kn under bare poles in 60kn wind, made more fiends, enjoyed some terrific foods, met up with family Pugwashers (Gillian, Andrew and Adam) visited some fantastic and wonderful anchorages, enjoyed each others company (both of us!), consumed enough gin, beer and wine to be thoroughly pickled, also, what more can we say other than thoroughly enjoyed being ticketeeboo on Ticketeeboo.
Home soon and looking forward to being in GP mode again. xxxx
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Ticketeeboo MMSI 235071989 Callsign 2CED3
At 25/06/2013 17:01 (utc) our position was 36°08.07'N 005°21.34'W
http://blog.mailasail.com/ticketeeboo

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