20th Sept 2008 - Crew arrive to streets of fire
Bali Hai
Neal Stow
Sat 20 Sep 2008 23:29
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I arrived back in Barcelona a couple of days ago
via the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry - a very pleasant way to travel.
Bali Hai appeared in good condition, the gel coat damage having been
repaired. Unfortunately I was soon to discover that the generator had
still not been fixed, the water system had developed a fault and the generator
battery had been overcharged so much it had swollen like a balloon and was about
to explode. Fortunately there are some excellent people in Barcelona and
by the end of the day the generator and water system had
been repaired.
If you are ever considering purchasing a generator,
do not buy a Mastervolt. I have only managed 22 hours from the generator
since I purchased the boat as it is continually in a state of repair and their
after sales service is appalling. Despite two months of chasing the
generator had not been repaired and we only managed to do it on Friday after
many expensive phone calls to Holland and the intervention of an independent
engineer to undo the faulty repairs done by the approved Mastervolt agent in
Spain.
This weekend is the start of La Mercé festival with
over 600 events over the next week - parades, fireworks, music, dance, shows
etc... There is a carnival atmosphere in Barcelona and a funfair right
next to the marina. The crew started to arrive on Friday and have been
able to join in the fun. The first arrivals are Big Pete and his "Friend
from Swindon" otherwise known as Tina. Only Pete will be sailing next
week, with Tina in Barcelona just for the party.
Last night was the "Fire Run" one of the most
spectacular event of the festival. It is basically a parade down crowded
streets with people dressed as devils and some large dragons and other
monsters all carrying large noisy fireworks. They dance down the
street to drumming, directing the spray of sparks from the fireworks at
themselves and at the crowd. You are warned in advance to wear clothes
that cover you to protect you from the white hot sparks but it is certainly not
an event that would be permitted in the UK.
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