Engine problems in Gijon
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Tue 28 Sep 2010 09:29
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43:32.7N
005:39.8W Another day, another adventure. We coasted into
Gijon marina last night about three hours after we'd planned, with the engine on
its last legs. The donk gave up just as we angled into a pontoon berth, which
Alex had to stop us from ramming.
We made ourselves fast to the pontoon then jumped
into our glad rags and rowed over to the nearest ladder up the marina wall (the
pontoons are on an electronic key which you can only get when the marina office
is open). Within minutes we were ensconced in a bar overlooking the harbour,
nibbling jamon de serrano and glugging down San Miguels. The place came to life
at about 11.30 and we sidled off exhausted at midnight.
The sail over from San Vicente de la Barquera was
beautiful but 'challenging'. I've lost the habit of using the term 'problematic'
after two and a half years at Dairy UK. We left on time, but the forecast
easterly wind stubbornly failed to materialise and we had the wind initially on
the nose as we shaped up to head west. The swell was enormous and the proximity
to land meant that we were bounced all over the place by competing waves. We
were travelling at barely 2 miles an hour.
Once we'd motored offshore a bit, the waves calmed
down into a regular pattern. Still enormous (up to four metres) but less
exhausting, and progress was better. The rain subsided out at sea, although we
could see hapless San Vicente under a particularly leaden cloud with rain
tumbling out of it. We were able to dodge the squalls and showers. Every now and
then the coast opened up and we caught a glimpse of very high mountains just
back from the rocky coast, but mostly, the shore was shrouded in low cloud until
after lunch.
We got a fair bit of sailing done, still in big
waves. but the engine started to lose power as we approached Gijon. The sun went
down majestically behind a series of headlands with foaming white waves at their
bases. In the dying wind we managed to sail in the last 5 miles and turned on
the engine only when we could see the surf on the breakwater outside the marina.
The engine coughed and died just after we'd surfed through the entrance on the
swell - not a moment too soon.
Of course, it turns out that the problem is pretty
simple to fix - just changing a filter. We'll buy a new one tomorrow morning and
be on our way to Ribadeo, the first of the 'rias altas'. In the meantime, we're
soaking up the heat - as are the boat's solar panels which are sticking out a
good bit of current - enouraging ahead of the Caribbean.
With luck we'll be 50 miles further west in Ribadeo
by nightfall tomorrow - either that or rowing hard for the open
ocean.
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