Chaguaramus: 'you have reached your destination'
Fleck
Wed 12 Jun 2013 13:15
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Wednesday June 12th 2013
Position 10:40.75N 61:38.2W The anchorage,
Chaguaramus Bay
Actually my Tom Tom doesn't talk to me, but it does
give a curious message: it says, on screen, 'you have reached your waypoint, do
you wish to continue navigating, or cancel navigation?'. I always press cancel
navigation at this point, as I am afraid that the machine would otherwise take
over, and decide for itself where to go next: to the stars, a parallel universe,
or more likely the nearest sandbank. But I digress, this is our destination for
now, and Fleck will be hauled in a day or two, and dry out until next
year.
Chaguaramus was a US Base in WW2, it is in a lovely
spot, sheltered from the trades, and with offlying islands. The scale of the
yachting Industry is amazing: forrests of masts everywhere, like a trip up the
Hamble River. But these boats are on land, sitting out the hurricane season,
south of the hurricane belt. The boatyards all seem pretty full, so I am hoping
that there is space at the Yard that already has my hefty deposit: I am off to
see them when their office opens in an hours time, and then armed with a haul
date, I can book a flight home, well, back to the UK, anyway.
It has been an eventful 24 hours: Maracas Bay, a
very peaceful overnight anchorage, was soon astern as we made gentle early
morning progress, downwind and current, towards the Western Tip of Trinidad. To
get round to Chaguaramus you have to go south through a narrow channel between
the mainland and an off lying island; the Bocca de Monos. As the end
of Trinidad loomed, so an acceleration zone appeared, with winds suddenly up to 25 kts. No problem, reef down a
bit and swing south into the Bocca. But suddenly, sails straining, we are going
backwards, there is a six knot current flowing out. No problem, engine on. Then
big problem, overheat alarm sounds, engine off, turn round, and washed out to
sea into the choppy race which is now carrying us towards Venezuela. I
change the rig to start beating back up the Trinidad Coast, the boat is very
uncomfortable and wet in the chop, but we at least seem to be staying in
Trinidad. Forever cooling problems with this engine. First you check the water
inlet strainer, and bingo, it is empty, there is a blockage in the through hull
inlet pipe. Seems to be quickly cleared, but when the engine is turned back on
only a dribble of water runs through the exhaust, and the overheat alarm comes
back on. Something must have got into the engine when I lifted the strainer to
clean it? Companionway steps dismantled to gain engine access, Water pump and
hoses to the heat exchanger dismantled, impeller chacked, pipes blown through,
no blockage. Reassembled, engine back on: overheats. So do I. Check strainer
again, blocked again: what can it be: something sitting over the inlet on the
outside of the hull: a Jules Verne giant squid moment? Prodded and poked through
the inlet, blockage cleared, and a dense fountain of seawater now spurting into
the cabin. Inlet cap located and screwed back on. Engine on, problem solved. By
the time that I got back to the Bocca the worst of the current had abated (there
is quite a lot of tide around here), and we hardly needed the engine! Once
through the Bocca, Chaguaramus bay opened up, peace and tranquility
restored.
The blog is now closing down for the hurricane
season, If all is well, then more next year.
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