Cala de San Pedro
23/10/2010 Distance: 95
NM
“36:54.20N 1.58.80W” We
slept surprisingly without nightmares and after a good night sleep we were up at
7.30 and started to sail in the dark. It was a nice start for the day. We
admired the rising sun and the setting moon, both appearing on the opposite
horizons for a while. Feeling good, we had a nice warm breakfast and settled
down for a quiet sail for the day. But it was not to be.
Steve
checked the dreaded transmission oil level and announced that it was down –
again! - to the minimum. Meaning, we could not continue, as practically we did
not own an engine anymore. (I have to mention that in So, floor boards up. I can only give a
description of what I saw. Husband, as head surgeon, seemed to be doing a major
operation, half buried in dismantled parts, wiping oil painstakingly from every
single part of the transmission. In a surprisingly controlled manner asking for:
“paper towel, screw driver, Allan keys, scissors, more paper towel, etc. for an
hour. Then, the diagnosis got formulated. “The bolt under the transmission cable
bracket is leaking.” While acting
like a theatre nurse I tried to sail the boat as best I could with the jib,
avoiding a major fish-farm exactly in our preferred direction.
Sails
furled. Motor started. The diagnostic work on the now squeaky clean transmission
continued. The final diagnosis.
“Yes it is the bolt.” Bracket off. Bolt out. Me, cleaning bolt and metal seal
with a toothbrush. Bolt back. Motor on. It works. After one month the
transmission has actually stopped leaking!! (for now, at
least!) I simply could
not believe it. All the mechanics Steve consulted, just shrugged their
shoulders. No, nothing can leak. But, it did. At the end it was up to Steve to
find this fault. I have no idea how people without his skills and determination
can sail. You could say that one does not need a motor to sail. Of course, but
this was just one piece from the thousands of bits and pieces that can go wrong
on a boat. And even if you are just 10NM
off-shore you have to solve the problem: there is no RAC around the corner to
tow your vehicle to the closest garage. No RAC, no garage and no mechanic.
It is
a beautiful somewhat cloudy day today. We are trying to reach a nice anchorage
for tonight. We saw a school of tuna! Hundreds swimming into the Med from the
Our
trip for the rest of the day was uneventful we had a great dinner while sailing
towards our anchorage. So
long. Liz &
Steve |