I've Been Busy 48 14N 16 50W
Ellatrout3
Sun 18 May 2014 13:14
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It's currently blowing a force 6+ and it is very difficult
to type with the boat leaping about so there may be many errors!!
Following my electrics/electronics saga I decided while
t5he weather was calm tochange my electric generator from windmill driven to
water/propellor driven; quite a big job at sea getting the hevy windmill down
from high on it's mast. It took me most of Friday, not only getting the
windmill mast up and down but I had great difficulty getting the windmill off
the generato shaft. In the end I had to rersort to heat and put the whole
lot on the gas stove to expand the hub sufficient torelease it from the
shaft.All the while I was doing this it was a beautiful sailing day and I was
not paying attention to the boatand sailing.
Throughout this peeriod of fine weather I had been running
the engine2/3 hours per day and every time I did this deisel fumes came
into the cabin. Initially I put this down to the easterly following wind blow
the exhaust fumes forward but after a while this did not stack up? So I thought
'oh well I'll check the engine level anyway. When I opened the engine box
everything was completely covered in a black greasey soot. I started the
engine and immediately heard exhaust gas escaping. Aah! what
next???
Well before we move on let me tell you about a wonderful
thing that happened that day. Iwas sat in the sun having a lunch break when low
and behold a little bird , about the size of a wren, landed on the opposite side
of the cockpit and started to look arround. It did not seem to be in distress, i
fact it was quite perky.It was soft brown above and fluffy yellow underneath and
it stayed a while and we had a chat then, with a flap of its wings it went
on it's way. We were about 480 miles from the nearest land; Per haps the
last few days of easterly winds had blown it off course because I think it was a
chiffchaf. For me it was a happy encounter. Oh! and also about this
time the dolphins came by, they didan't stop toplay but waved their tails and I
watched them go off into the distance.
Now my engine; after a bit listening and feeling I
eventually located the leak. It was underneath the cast iron manifold
which had obviously corroded and was quite inaccessable. There was another
fine day forecast for tomorrow so I decided to leave it till then and cook
myself a mal - it was going dark!
With dodgy electrics I needed the engine to charge the
batteries, what to do? Many options went through my mind; I decided to go
for Plastic Padding. I thought I could put it on the end of my finger and
push it into the whole. Again, it took me all day, not just the job itself,
mixing and placing small amouts of padding into the hole, but I couldn't
touch anything without putting black greasey marks everywhere. The boats in a
right state but it worked and just in time, In the last few hours of the job I
notice the wind pick up. I just got cleared up and I had to pay serious
attention to sailing the boat. I finally got something to eat that day at
10pm. With all this messing about Iimagine my Jester collegues are well
ahead
Since then ET and I have had near gale force
headwinds, it's a rough confused sea with what appears to be two sets of waves,
one from the west and the other from the north which reults in us dancing
aroud like a ping pong ball on a fountain
That's it, up to date now I hink, the above position is
Noon Sunday.
Poppa/Dad/Roger
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